Liquid Espresso Concentrate Goes Global
Cold coffee is one of the fastest-growing trends in coffee around the world, fueled by younger consumers looking to create and personalize coffee experiences inspired by social media, coffee shops and evolving routines. To meet that demand, Keurig Dr Pepper’s Coffee Operating Unit has launched a new liquid espresso concentrate platform across four iconic brands, L’OR, Jacobs, Kenco and Douwe Egberts, bringing a versatile new format to consumers in 20 countries. Available in three flavors – Pure Black, Sweet Caramel and Rich Mocha – the innovation is designed to transform cold coffee from a seasonal choice into a year-round ritual, whether it’s an iced latte in the morning or an espresso martini in the evening.
The new liquid espresso concentrate combines capabilities from two areas of strength across KDP’s global coffee business: extensive experience delivering premium liquid coffee to offices, hotels and restaurants, and advanced instant coffee processing technology. Together, those capabilities enabled teams to develop a format that stays fresh for up to four weeks after opening and refrigeration while offering consumers flexibility across a wide range of hot and cold coffee creations.
“We’ve been mastering liquid coffee in the professional world for years – now we’re taking that expertise and applying it directly to the consumer in home market,” said Carolyn Adams, Chief R&D Officer for KDP’s Coffee Operating Unit. “It’s a great example of how a single, sophisticated R&D innovation platform can serve many different consumers and brands.”
The launch is a proof point of the Company’s platforming strategy within its global coffee business, using a single creative platform to scale innovation across the portfolio. Anchored by Jacobs and extended across local icon brands including Kenco and Douwe Egberts, the approach enables the business to build once, scale efficiently and bring new coffee experiences to consumers through brands they already know and love.
“Cold coffee is what’s hot in the coffee world right now,” said Ricard Barri Valentines, Chief Marketing Officer for KDPs Coffee Operating Unit. “With the new liquid espresso concentrate line, we’re directly targeting the Gen Z coffee lover whose habits are driven by global iced-coffee trends and social media culture. Comparable launches have demonstrated the format’s ability to attract consumers who are entirely new to the retail coffee category, highlighting its potential to expand the market while creating new occasions for existing coffee drinkers*. Above all, espresso concentrate is an open invitation to experiment, remix and make coffee your own.”
As consumer preferences continue to evolve, innovations like liquid espresso concentrate demonstrate how KDP’s global coffee business is combining consumer insights, world-class R&D capabilities and platforming to create new coffee occasions and drive growth across markets.
* Source: Internal analysis of liquid espresso concentrate launches across Australia, Belgium and other European markets. Based on category and retailer panel data showing that approximately 10-15% of buyers were new to the total coffee category.