Birmingham, Ala.-based Royal Cup Coffee & Tea (Royal Cup), an importer, roaster and distributor of premium and specialty coffees and teas, announced the April 2 launch of a new line of shelf-stable, ready-to-drink cold-brew coffees. This will be the company’s first liquid product introduction following its acquisition of Icebox Coffee.
The new cold-brew line, an addition to Royal Cup’s Signature Brand, features three flavors: French Roast, French Roast Lightly Sweetened and Rain Forest Bold, a Rainforest Alliance Certified cold brew. Each flavor profile carefully was selected through extensive research and testing of multiple cold-brew blends and competitive products.
“We are thrilled to reveal the launch of Royal Cup’s first shelf-stable, ready-to-drink cold-brew line — the result of many months of hard work, impressive collaboration and timely execution,” said Bill Smith, chief executive officer at Royal Cup, in a statement. “As an organization, we are committed to innovation and to identifying new ways to produce, market and sell the coffee and specialty beverages our customers have come to know and love.”
Last year, Royal Cup acquired Richgood Gourmet LLC, the manufacturer and distributor of Icebox Coffee, one of the nation’s first shelf-stable, cold-brew coffees, it says. Bebe Goodrich, founder and former president of Icebox Coffee, joined Royal Cup as director of liquid product innovation where she now leads the company’s liquid-manufacturing vertical. She, along with a cross-functional team of experts, spearheaded the development of the new cold-brew line.
“2017 was an exciting and pivotal year as Richgood Gourmet joined forces with Royal Cup to create and deliver the highest quality ready-to-drink cold-brewed coffees and specialty beverages,” Goodrich said. “The future has never been brighter, and we will continue to pioneer high-demand products that enhance Royal Cup’s ability to create exceptional customer experiences — something on which it has intensely focused since its inception more than 120 years ago.”
The release of Royal Cup’s ready-to-drink cold-brew line marks the first substantial evolution in the company’s long-standing B2B business model, and these products soon will be available for sale direct to consumers in select stores later this year.
“Today’s announcement is only the beginning of Royal Cup’s progression into the RTD market,” said Anne Pritz, chief marketing officer at Royal Cup. “Unparalleled service, true innovation and exceptional quality are three concepts we take very seriously, and our team is on a mission to find new and disruptive ways to marry them in the form of highly flavorful, desirable and marketable product lines.”
In the coming months, Royal Cup also expects to announce the launch date of a new line of shelf-stable, ready-to-drink teas, which will be available in sweetened, unsweetened and peach flavors, it says.
