Instant, ground or whole bean coffee are still the most popular choices for the at-home consumer, but 17 percent of drinkers prefer single-cup coffee, according to a survey by Mintel Group Ltd., Chicago.
Eighty-four percent of iced coffee drinkers say they are drinking more iced coffee this winter compared to last winter, according to an independent survey commissioned by Dunkin’ Donuts, Canton, Mass.
Sara Lee Corp., Utrecht, The Netherlands, acquired Tea Forté, a Massachusetts-based ultra-premium tea company. The acquisition will strengthen Sara Lee’s expertise and presence in the luxury tea segment, the company said.
Caribou Coffee, Minneapolis, announced that all coffee and espresso varieties available in its stores, online and at retail are now sourced from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms.
The economic downturn caused many consumers to cut back across categories, but coffee consumers have found new ways to enjoy their cup of joe. Approximately 79 percent of adults in the United States drank coffee in the last two years, according to Chicago-based Mintel Group Ltd.’s October Coffee report. However, 48 percent of coffee drinkers surveyed said they are drinking more coffee at home and less away from home in 2011 than they were a year ago — a trend that Mintel predicts will continue to drive retail coffee sales through 2012.
In its “Breakfast Consumer Trend Report,” Chicago-based research firm Technomic notes that coffee is playing an increasingly important role in consumers’ breakfast purchasing decisions. Thirty-three percent of consumers who drink coffee at breakfast say they are loyal to a coffee brand or restaurant that serves their preferred coffee, which is an increase from 25 percent who reported loyalty in 2009, it states.
After receiving feedback from focus groups after the brand’s initial rollout, RealBeanz reworked its packaging, the shape of which was inspired by old milk bottles.
Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle, announced the acquisition of Evolution Fresh Inc., San Bernardino, Calif. The $30 million acquisition is part of the coffee company’s commitment to evolve and enhance the customer experience with innovative and wholesome products, the company says. It announced plans to reinvent the $1.6 billion super-premium juice segment and said the acquisition is a significant step in entering the more than $50 billion health and wellness sector.
Last month, redesigned Honest Tea and Honest Ade PET bottles began hitting store shelves. Honest Tea, the Bethesda, Md.-based wholly owned subsidiary of Coca-Cola, initiated the packaging design changes more than three years ago.
Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle, introduced a new community model in the neighborhoods of Harlem, N.Y., and Crenshaw, Calif., where community organizations will share in the profits of a store in each community. Starbucks will donate a minimum of $100,000 to a local community organization for the first year of the partnership as it assesses the success of the program and gathers learning in hopes of creating a new type of corporate engagement in communities, the company says.
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