Tony's Coffee x WWU

For nearly 50 years, Tony’s Coffee has been a staple on Western’s campus, caffeinating students, faculty, and staff alike. Now, in a fun evolution of this longstanding relationship, Tony’s Coffee has introduced a new blend, All Nighter, created just for WWU and raising funds for programs at Western.

The All Nighter blend evokes the warm feeling of being on campus and also celebrates the WWU student experience. Tony’s held tasting sessions on campus with coffee-loving students, who picked the medium roast blend with notes of chocolate, caramel, and brown sugar. 

Tony’s Coffee originated in Bellingham in 1971, when the company began roasting fine coffees and serving espresso at their Fairhaven coffeehouse. The company’s connections to WWU began with an espresso cart on campus in the 1970s and now includes several alumni on staff, dating back to the class of 1985.

Now, 10 percent of sales of Tony’s All Nighter will go toward programs at WWU. It’s also served in all WWU dining halls. 

The new coffee got a new label by Zoe Malee, a talented designer and 2024 graduate of WWU’s design program. 

Malee’s style first caught the eye of Tony’s label designer Cameron Jennings, ’06, B.S., mathematics, in spring 2023, when Malee was a student in Jennings’ packaging design course at Western, where he’s an adjunct faculty member in the Design Department. After seeing Malee’s designs showcased in a project for another Bellingham business, Stemma Brewing, Jennings knew Malee’s vibe would be perfect for Tony’s. 

“My favorite projects are always the collaborative ones, and working with my former student was an added bonus. Zoe is very talented, and she was able to execute the vision perfectly,” Jennings says. “I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out.”

In her label, Malee aimed to capture the essence of late-night study sessions, the sense of community that makes them memorable, and the physical place WWU students know and love. 

“It brings me joy,” Malee says. “It feels like a parting gift. I hope that Western students feel connected to the design and even let out a little laugh when they see it.” 

Malee chose dusty cool tones and vibrant highlights to create a label that feels both nostalgic and fresh. The purples and pinks, contrasted with the Western blue, the buildings outside the window that look like Mathes and Nash residence halls -- and of course the pink cat – all “feel uniquely Western,” to Malee. 

“It was also important to include what my friends and I call parallel play—of course we’d rather be hanging out together doing something fun, but as long as we’re all in the same room together, even homework isn’t so bad,” says Malee.

Since graduating, Malee has accepted an internship with Stout Design in San Francisco, where she continues to leave her mark on the world of packaging design.