In its “Breakfast Consumer Trend Report,” Chicago-based research firm Technomic notes that coffee is playing an increasingly important role in consumers’ breakfast purchasing decisions. Thirty-three percent of consumers who drink coffee at breakfast say they are loyal to a coffee brand or restaurant that serves their preferred coffee, which is an increase from 25 percent who reported loyalty in 2009, it states.

Entenmann's Bakery and White Coffee Corp. have partnered to launch a new signature collection of flavored coffees and cocoa.

Caribou Coffee, Minneapolis, announced that all coffee and espresso varieties available in its stores, online and at retail are now sourced from Rainforest Alliance-certified farms.

Instant, ground or whole bean coffee are still the most popular choices for the at-home consumer, but 17 percent of drinkers prefer single-cup coffee, according to a survey by Mintel Group Ltd., Chicago.

Seventy percent of consumers said coffee will be part of their Valentine’s Day dinners or dates this year, an independent survey by Dunkin’ Donuts, Canton, Mass., reported. Of those, 50 percent indicated that they would prefer to receive a fresh cup of coffee from their sweetheart rather than flowers.

The Patron Spirits Co. announced the first brand extension for its Patron XO Cafe coffee liqueur line.

PapaNicholas Coffee Co. launched Versanto Force 3X coffee, which features three times the amount of caffeine as a regular bag of coffee.

Starbucks Corp., Seattle, introduced two new retail concepts for its Seattle’s Best Coffee and Evolution Fresh Inc. subsidiaries. In addition, the company also shared plans to launch its own single-cup coffee system.

Dunkin’ Donuts, Canton, Mass., welcomed three new caramel iced coffee flavors to its collection: Caramel Turtle, Caramel Almond and Caramel Mocha. Available at participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants for a limited time nationwide, the freshly brewed iced beverages join Dunkin’ Donuts’ lineup of iced coffee flavors, including Blueberry, Cinnamon, Hazelnut and Raspberry.