Better-for-You Coffee

Well-known Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes partnered with beverage industry veteran Michael Fedele (Coca-Cola’s Body Armor, vitaminwater, Powerade) to introduce Throne SPORT COFFEE.

Officials say the ready-to-drink iced coffee’s “COFFEE PLUS+” nutritional formula contains 150mg of natural caffeine, natural flavors, natural sweeteners, 100% daily B vitamins, electrolytes and BCAA’s and is low in calories and sugar. Throne SPORT COFFEE is available at Casey’s, Hy-Vee, Amazon and SPORTCOFFEE.com and comes in four flavors: Mocha Java, Salted Caramel, French Vanilla and Black.

“Having worked in the beverage industry for more than 15 years I have explored a lot of consumer consumption habits and coffee is, and has been for decades, what health-minded active adults and athletes consume for energy. Yet so many ready-to-drink coffees in the market are high in calories, are loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients, plus provide zero additional function beyond just caffeine” said Michael Fedele, Throne SPORT COFFEE Founder and CEO.

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Restaurant to Retail

The Coca-Cola Company, Atlanta, is borrowing on its UK coffeehouse chain brand, Costa Coffee, for a new line of ready-to-drink lattes at select US retailers nationwide. 

After pilot sales last fall, Coca-Cola now offers 11oz cans of Costa Iced Coffee Lattes in three flavors – Mocha, Caramel and Signature Blend. The three flavors will be available via Amazon Fresh and Walgreens, as well as select availability in 7-Eleven, Duane Reade, QuikTrip, Schnucks, and more. It will retail for approximately $3.49 (prices may vary by retailer).  

“The line was created for people seeking a tasty, ready-to-drink coffee to match their active lifestyles,” said Coca-Cola official David de la Garza. “With approximately 85mg of caffeine from coffee, real cane sugar and dairy milk, we’re thrilled to bring a high-quality and deliciously balanced taste to consumers.

Coca-Cola’s previous pilot RTD offering was Costa Coffee Flat White.

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Old Brand, New in RTD

The J. M. Smucker Co. Orrville, Ohio, extended its Café Bustelo coffee brand into the ready-to-drink space with a multi-serve iced coffee collection. New Café Bustelo Espresso Style Iced Coffee Beverages come in 40oz bottles and in three dark roast flavors: Unsweetened, Sweetened and Vainilla. The coffees debuted with Target with future distribution planned for Wal-mart and Kroger.

"In recent years, we've started to see many of our coffee customers, both young and old, reach more and more for iced coffee—but they still want that iconic flavor of Café Bustelo's espresso style roasts that they love," said Eduardo S. Merino, Café Bustelo senior brand manager.

Officials note the Sweetened version is formulated with real sugar. They add that Vainilla rounds out the lineup as a Target exclusive and contains “notes of vanilla and cherry that complement the dark roast coffee.”

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THC-Infused Cold Brew

Subculture Delta Beverages Inc., a joint venture between Subculture Coffee and Diesel Beverages, says it introduced the first shelf-stable THC-infused cold brew coffee. Offerings include Cold Brew and a smooth, subtly sweet, dairy-free Oat Milk variety. Both are made with fair-trade Ethiopian Arabica beans and each serving contains 5mg of federally compliant Delta-9 THC naturally derived from hemp.

"Our new cold brews combine our decades-long mastery of coffee with the latest in cannabis innovation, offering a mood-elevating twist to your daily pick-me-up," said Rodney Mayo, co-founder of Subculture Delta Beverages.

Subculture THC-Infused Cold Brew Coffees are available for purchase online at drinksubculture.com and at Subculture Coffee locations in south Florida.

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Energy Meets Irish Créme

Monster Energy Company, Corona, Calif., extended its Java Monster line with an Irish Crème variety.

"The launch of Java Monster Irish Crème is not just about introducing a new flavor; it's a celebration of innovation, energy, and community," said Dan McHugh, chief marketing officer. "We are thrilled to share this moment and to bring a taste of Irish tradition to the Java Monster family.”

Monster says Java Monster products feature premium coffee, cream and the company’s Monster Energy blend. Other Java Monster flavors are Mean Bean, Loca Moca, Salted Caramel, Caffe Latte, and Triple Shot (Mocha and French Vanilla).

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Canned Draft Latte

La Colombe Coffee Roasters, Philadelphia, introduced 11 fl oz Draft Latte cans. “With the same creamy texture and smooth taste as the Draft Lattes on-tap in La Colombe cafés, the first product launched under Chobani leadership delivers on the growing consumer demands for cold coffee and less sugar,” the company says. Draft Latte cans come in four varieties—including Double, Triple, Mocha, Vanilla, and Caramel—at a SRP of $3.29 per 11 fl oz can.

"We're excited to bring La Colombe's 30 years of coffee credibility and mad science together with Chobani's breakthrough dairy expertise, which maximizes the natural sweetness already found in milk," says Chobani's Chief Innovation Officer Niel Sandfort. "We have created a perfectly balanced, velvety draft latte with just the right amount of body. It has half the amount of sugar and no artificial sweeteners. This is unparalleled in today's ready-to-drink offering."

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Functional Lattes

SYSTM Foods Inc., Newport Beach, Calif., extended its REBBL line with AWAKE+ PROTEIN, a line of three “protein and caffeine-fueled” functional lattes with added benefits of Lion's Mane mushroom extract. Officials say each 12oz ready-to-drink has 10g of plant-powered protein and 200mg of Lion's Mane mushroom extract.

New Lion's Mane Matcha Latte blends ceremonial and premium-grade matcha green tea, coconut milk, organic honey and spirulina. A new Lion's Mane Lavender Tea Latte combines Fair-trade certified Assam black tea combined with coconut milk, sweet honey, and notes of floral lavender. New Lion's Mane Cold Brew Latte features coconut milk with organic Fair-trade certified cold-brew coffee for caffeine equivalent to 1.5 cups of coffee. REBBL AWAKE+ PROTEIN lattes are available for $4.99 in Sprouts locations nationwide.

In response to customer demand, we've combined our AWAKE and PROTEIN lines, creating a hybrid 'proffee' collection that seamlessly unites plant-based protein and caffeine,” said Mike Quinones, SYSTM chief marketing officer. "As a bonus, we've elevated these beverages with a nootropic, providing our customers with a functional edge that exceeds the ordinary coffee or tea.

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Organic Cold Brew

Known for plant-based lattes and coffee concentrates, Pop & Bottle, San Francisco, expanded its line with three new 48oz Organic Cold Brew Coffees. Available in the refrigerated aisles at select Target stores nationwide are new Light Roast, Medium Roast and Vanilla varieties. Officials say each is unsweetened with moderate caffeine levels.

"Our journey began in 2015, evolving from bottled almond milk lattes to canned oat milk lattes in 2019,” notes Jash Mehta, Pop & Bottle CEO and co-founder. This new multi-serve cold brew series is our nod to those seeking the premium taste and quality of traditional black coffee in a more economical, multi-serve format."