Unboxed: Flavors, functions and formats adding buzz to the coffee category
Drink it hot or chilled, flash-, fresh- or cold-brewed, steeped or as a shot… there’s no doubt that coffee is still America’s favorite beverage. These 15 brands are taking consumers' love of coffee to the next level.
![Unboxed: Flavors, functions and formats adding buzz to the coffee category Unboxed: Flavors, functions and formats adding buzz to the coffee category](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/bltafc06db067aebac6/64cbf83cdb0bcc7a8de33eaa/NewHopeNetwork_Horizontal_RGB.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
This new black coffee cold brew has 200 milligrams of naturally occurring caffeine, as well as just 15 calories and zero sugar. Each can of this smooth and never-bitter black coffee has a widget that releases tiny nitrogen bubbles when opened. Drink it alone or over ice combined with a favorite dairy or plant-based milk. A bonus: All of the packaging is 100% recyclable.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA)—a fatty acid with a wide range of potential health benefits—is the secret to this shelf-stable (for 6 months) RTD coffee, which blends whole milk from “pampered cows” at a fourth-generation dairy farm in upstate New York with fair trade Guatemalan coffee.
Why settle for an ordinary cup of coffee when this one has extra benefits to help get you through the afternoon? 1,000 milligrams lion’s mane and 400 milligrams rhodiola promote focus and cognitive health, while this creamy, plant-based drink also boasts 6 grams of protein.
Chicory is the not-so-secret ingredient that makes New Orleans coffee so special. But while the classic version of this regional coffee is loaded with sugar to offset this plant’s natural bitterness, NITRO Beverage Co. has managed to pull off a rich and creamy Nitro Cold Brew that’s both sugar and dairy free. The key was months of trial-and-error research into dozens of different chicory varieties to find the perfect flavor profile. And the result is an enticing USDA Organic Coffee that uses certified organic chicory sourced exclusively from responsible, Fair Trade Certified farms.
This delectably rich oatmilk latte has about the same amount of caffeine as a shot of espresso. This cold brew gets its froth from a specialized Nitro Widget, and its coffee from 100% Arabica beans sourced via Direct Trade from the brand’s partners in South and Central America and East Africa. The shelf-stable can is great when chilled for the best allergy-friendly, nut-free vegan latte drinking experience.
For a different twist on RTD coffee, this Turkish-coffee inspired cold brew shot is all about cognitive health. It is infused with L-Theanine and panax ginseng to help promote memory function and reaction time. This unpasteurized, refrigerated shot is packed with flavor and ideal on its own or stirred into a morning smoothie.
One of two new oatmilk lattes from this brand, this variety combines flash-brew coffee with indulgent notes of cacao, and creamy oatmilk—as well as hemp cream. It's a shelf-stable (refrigerate after opening) pick-me-up that also has 30 grams of whole grains per bottle, 650 milligrams of Omega-3 ALA and 95 milligrams of caffeine.
This seasonal concentrate makes the perfect base for a delicious glass of cold-brew coffee with the warm and cozy flavors and aromas of cinnamon and vanilla. The quart-sized bottle of concentrate also means less waste than similar single-serve cold-brew counterparts. We also love this Chameleon Organic’s commitment to organic certification, sustainable sourcing and quality testing, as well as its investment in the regions and communities where it sources its coffee.
This brand gets its single-sourced coffee from organic family farms that practice shade-growing. This means that the coffee plants grow under a canopy of trees, a method that promotes principals of natural ecology and biodiversity and helps reduce environmental impact. We love the low acidity of this cold-brew latte, which gets its creamy taste from 2% real milk and its sweetness from organic cane sugar.
While this 96-ounce carton might not fit into a purse, or even a backpack, it’s a worthwhile investment for coffee lovers who want to easily fill up their cup and savor a cup of joe (on tap), with less waste. Each 16-ounce serving of this smooth-tasting organic brew has the equivalent of two espresso shots or 150 milligrams of caffeine. Comes in Vanilla, Hazelnut and this Straight Black variety.
Creamy coconut milk and antioxidant-rich Japanese matcha fuel this innovative, plant-based take on classic Vietnamese cold brew coffee. The beans are harvested from a family farm in Vietnam and brewed in California for a super-caffeinated and smooth coffee experience with a twist.
We love this portable, pocket-sized, just-add-water coffee that’s made using freshly roasted, precision-ground coffee nitro-sealed inside individual immersion filters. This Certified B Corp sources direct trade coffee from around the world, such as this aromatic and fruity light roast from Colombia.
A big sip of perfectly brewed black coffee can go a long way. Pair that coffee with adaptogens such as L-theanine, lion’s mane, cordyceps, reishi and ashwagandha and the result can be enhanced energy, clarity and calm. Consumers can text their thoughts about this product directly to the founder using the phone number on the front of the can.
Don’t confuse “flash brew” with “cold brew,” says this California coffee roaster. These RTD coffees are brewed hot and then flash chilled before canning to capture as many organoleptic nuances as possible. Made from direct trade coffee, this blend is 99.9% caffeine-free thanks to a nonchemical process that uses only water.
We'd be remiss not to include at least one ground or whole-bean coffee in this gallery. Four Sigmatic offers a smooth medium roast made with USDA Organic, Fair Trade, single-origin Arabica coffee beans from Guatemala that are third-party lab tested for purity. The immune-supporting formula includes 300 milligrams of wildcrafted Chaga and 200 milligrams of Turkey Tail mushrooms per serving, along with prebiotic yacon juice powder and 1 billion CFUs of probiotics. Consumers shouldn’t be afraid to brew it hot because the probiotics are both shelf-stable and heat resistant.
We'd be remiss not to include at least one ground or whole-bean coffee in this gallery. Four Sigmatic offers a smooth medium roast made with USDA Organic, Fair Trade, single-origin Arabica coffee beans from Guatemala that are third-party lab tested for purity. The immune-supporting formula includes 300 milligrams of wildcrafted Chaga and 200 milligrams of Turkey Tail mushrooms per serving, along with prebiotic yacon juice powder and 1 billion CFUs of probiotics. Consumers shouldn’t be afraid to brew it hot because the probiotics are both shelf-stable and heat resistant.
The coffee industry is yet another sector that’s been turned on its ear this year by the effects of COVID-19. As Americans began and continued to work from home in staggering numbers, the booming take-out (and drink-in) coffee category took a huge hit. During its reporting of 2020 third-quarter fiscal results, Starbucks, for example, estimated having missed out on $3.1 billion in sales due to changes in consumer behavior and other factors tied to COVID-19.
On the grocery front, Julie Terrazzino, the senior category manager of beverages for KeHE, has observed a lot of customers making the switch to at-home caffeine sources like coffee and tea as they spend their workdays within reach of their home kitchens.
Even so, reaching for a can of RTD cold-brew coffee is still a growing trend, despite challenges experienced by these grab-and-go favorites during pandemic stockpiling earlier this year. Part of the reason for the mega-popularity of cold brew coffee in particular is a smooth taste profile that makes it easier to drink without any added sugar—a plus for the growing cadre of sugar-averse Americans. The category has also seen a lot of innovation in terms of products using plant-based milks, as well as the addition of added, wellness-promoting functional and/or immunity-boosting ingredients.
The 15 products featured in this gallery represent different ways with coffee—each with its own ingredient profile, sourcing story, packaging format and brewing method. Nitro, beans, concentrate, black, latte, functional or extra strong, when it comes to coffee innovation, these products have got it covered.
Be sure to check out the products with the Product Discovery Zone Brand logo on the Spark Change platform.
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