Less than two years after launching its first bottled Iced Coffee beverages, Canton, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Donuts is giving the ready-to-drink (RTD) category another jolt with the launch of Shot in the Dark coffee espresso blend, the brand’s first-ever coffee beverage served in a can, the company says. Manufactured and distributed by Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co., Shot in the Dark combines Dunkin’s signature coffee and espresso.

The Coca-Cola Co., Atlanta, has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Costa Ltd., which was founded in London in 1971. The acquisition of Costa from parent company Whitbread PLC is valued at $5.1 billion and will give Coca-Cola a strong coffee platform across parts of Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, with the opportunity for additional expansion, the company says.

The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, announced that the company is exploring strategic alternatives for its Turkey Hill business, including a potential sale.

Living Essentials LLC, Farmington Hills, Mich., released 5-hour TEA shots, a product line that's available in a Peach Tea flavor. 

Starbucks Corp., Seattle, will form a global coffee alliance with Nestlé S.A. to accelerate and grow the global reach of Starbucks brands in consumer packaged goods (CPG) and foodservice. With a shared commitment to ethical and sustainable sourcing of coffee, this alliance will transform, expand and elevate the at-home and away-from-home coffee and related categories around the world, the company says.