Starbucks to support expansion of GMCR’s Keurig platform beyond North America
May 8, 2013
Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee Co. and Waterbury, Vt.-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. (GMCR) signed an agreement to expand their partnership for the manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sale of Starbucks- and Tazo-branded single-serve packs for use in GMCR’s Keurig single-serve brewing systems.
Starbucks Coffee Co., Seattle, introduced a handcrafted Hazelnut Macchiato beverage to its menu at participating Starbucks retail stores nationwide. As one of the most popular flavors in Starbucks retail stores, second only to vanilla, the new beverage allows consumers to enjoy the popular flavor hot or iced.
Economic times might be helping to entice consumers to opt for in-home coffee consumption; however, consumers are finding ways to ensure that their cups of coffee at home are just as enjoyable.
The economic downturn caused many consumers to cut back across categories, but coffee consumers have found new ways to enjoy their cup of joe. Approximately 79 percent of adults in the United States drank coffee in the last two years, according to Chicago-based Mintel Group Ltd.’s October Coffee report. However, 48 percent of coffee drinkers surveyed said they are drinking more coffee at home and less away from home in 2011 than they were a year ago — a trend that Mintel predicts will continue to drive retail coffee sales through 2012.
Starbucks Corp., Seattle, announced the November launch of Starbucks Coffee K-Cup Portion Packs for the Keurig Single Cup Brewing system. The branded K-Cups will be available throughout grocery stores and specialty retailers in the United States later this year.
