Coca-Cola’s next ‘real thing’
Posted by TheShot on 02 Sep 2006 | Tagged as: Consumer Trends, Restaurant Coffee
So Coca-Cola finally revealed some of what they’ve been up to with their recent patent frenzy (as reported here in January): Coca-Cola’s next ‘real thing’: lattes - Sep. 1, 2006. Next Wednesday in Toronto, Coca-Cola plans to formally announce their foray into “premium” brewed tea and coffee.
The brand is called Far Coast (the corresponding Web site also appears poised for a launch), and they’re planning to roll it out first in Canada for hot drinks such as coffee, tea, and lattes. But instead of Coca-Cola’s usual retail play to consumers, its focus instead appears to be on a pod-based system for restaurants to brew individual cups.
Given Coca-Cola’s declining sales in the soft drink market, coffee, like bottled water, looks like another hopeful attempt at revenue diversification. Furthermore, it is undoubtedly a defensive strategy to stave off brand erosion, and their erosion of consumer top-of-mind, to the likes of Starbucks.
UPDATE: Sept. 9, 2006
According to the Toronto Star, Coca-Cola is launching Far Coast as “café in a box”: Coca-Cola brews up a coffee business. Because we all know how well wine in a box tastes.
UPDATE: Sept. 13, 2006
Today MSNBC reported on the importance of branding for Coca-Cola’s launch of Far Coast and CHAQWA: Coffee could be ‘huge new business’ for Coke - Top Stories - MSNBC.com. This is particularly true given Coca-Cola’s many acknowledged missteps in recent years.
4 Comments »
on 08 Sep 2006 at 4:51 pm -04:00T 1.TheShot.coffeeratings.com » Tea Time - Or: Where Are All My Coffee Varieties? said …
[...] Given the perishable inventory and training requirements for coffee, handling multiple varieties may be a much lower maintenance option for tea. But before we all go following the trend towards Monkey Picked Tieguanyin Oolong tea like lemmings, will somebody please at least humor me with a choice of either Ethiopian or Costa Rican when I order a cup of coffee? I’m not even asking for Jamaican Blue Mountain. Is that really too much to ask? (And please — none of those crappy pod systems either. Even though that would still be an improvement.) [...]
on 14 Sep 2006 at 6:54 pm -04:00T 2.TheShot.coffeeratings.com » Coke, Nestlé Take Aim at Starbucks said …
[...] Not to be outdone by Coca-Cola’s Far Coast and CHAQWA announcements earlier this month, Big Four junk coffee giant, Nestlé, says “me too!”: Coke, Nestlé Take Aim at Starbucks (Advertising Age). [...]
on 17 Nov 2006 at 5:42 pm -05:00T 3.TheShot.coffeeratings.com » Coca-Cola ventures into premium specialty coffee said …
[...] ChannelNewsAsia published an article today on Coca-Cola’s venture into coffee distribution in Singapore: Channelnewsasia.com - Coca-Cola ventures into premium specialty coffee. Coca-Cola has been investing in coffee service for quite some time. In previous posts here, we’ve covered their development of Far Coast pod systems — among other patents. As one of Wall Street’s darling growth stocks, and a stock represented in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Coke continually seeks out new revenue streams to keep the party train going. [...]
on 21 May 2007 at 6:27 am -04:00T 4.Espresso News and Reviews - TheShot.coffeeratings.com » Coca-Cola FoodService Partners with Juan Valdez said …
[...] We’ve been monitoring Coca-Cola’s murky interests in the coffee business for some time now. The most obvious example being their patent filings in recent years, which have lead to — among other things — their launch of Far Coast coffee pod and machine systems for food service retailers. [...]