Oakland, CA-based Blue Bottle Coffee will launch a canned version of its cold brew coffee, the Los Angeles Times reports. The cans will preview at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA, this week and launch at Blue Bottle’s Los Angeles, New York and Bay Area stores shortly thereafter. They will also be available at select Whole Foods stores nationwide in April.
The source reports that a big draw for the product is its portability.
Cold brew is a trend that continues to be a popular drink choice for consumers. According to research from Mintel last year, retail sales of cold brew reflect its expanding role in the coffee category with estimated 115 percent growth from the year prior, reaching $7.9 million in sales. Growth has been steady since 2010, increasing 339 percent through estimated 2015. In this year’s Automatic Merchandiser SOCI report, 25 percent of respondents indicated that cold brew was part of their OCS line up of products and services.
The cans of Blue Bottle Cold Brew reportedly are eight ounces and will sell for $4 per can.
Editor's Note: Although some trends come and go, cold brew looks like it is going to stay. Third wave coffee company Blue Bottle Coffee is appealing to consumer preference for convenience, portability and taste with this launch. OCS operators should know what their consumers are drinking and where they are getting their beverages in order to have offerings consumers crave.
