Americans love their cups of coffee. That point became clear as coffee and tea manufacturers accounted for 49 percent of the total beverage Pacesetter dollars in 2011, according to Chicago-based SymphonyIRI Group’s “2011 New Product Pacesetters” report.
The research firm annually presents its Pacesetters benchmark analysis of first-year consumer product goods sales success for newly launched products across food, drug and mass merchandise channels, excluding Walmart. In the overall food and beverage market, three beverages landed in the Top 10: Folgers Gourmet Selections K-Cups, Dr Pepper Snapple Group’s Sun Drop and Gold Peak Chilled Tea from The Coca-Cola Co.