2019 State of the Beverage Industry: RTD coffee, cold-brew sub-segment drives category
Ground, single-cup experience flat growth
The daily “cup of Joe” recently has taken on a new meaning as consumers now are trending toward crafted and tasteful, yet highly caffeinated forms of coffee. Ready-to-drink (RTD) coffees, including cold-brew varieties, seem to be appealing to consumers who wish to stay energized in their day-to-day lives.
According to Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI), refrigerated RTD coffee increased 26.4 percent for the 52 weeks ending May 19 in total U.S. multi-outlets. This growth was led by Stok with an increase of 69 percent and Starbucks RTD with an increase of 40.5 percent, during that same time-frame, according to IRI data.