Known for its ready-to-drink line of Teas’ Tea beverages, Ito En North America Inc. has entered the coffee segment with its new ready-to-drink Jay Street Coffees.

Whether SEEKING a caffeine fix or a social beverage, more Americans are sipping on coffee, according to the National Coffee Association of USA Inc. (NCA), New York.

The premium market for coffee continues to gain ground, according to an August 2012 report from Santa Monica, Calif.-based IBISWorld. “Consumers educated themselves more about coffee beans and traded up in quality over the five years to 2012,” the report stated.

From the heart of Brooklyn, N.Y., the home of Coney Island and the Brooklyn Bridge, comes RealBeanz, a ready-to-drink gourmet iced coffee company brimming with New York pride. The self-described “up-and-coming” brand plays off of the classic, artsy Brooklyn vibe to showcase its borough spirit and connect with its “kind of young, kind of hip, and kind of fresh” consumers in the 18- to 35-year-old demographic group, says Jenna Burke, director of public relations and social media for RealBeanz.

Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee announced a definitive merger agreement under which an affiliate of Joh. A. Benckiser Group (JAB), Ludwigshafen, Germany, will acquire Caribou Coffee for $16 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $340 million. The agreement, which was unanimously approved by Caribou Coffee’s independent directors, represents a premium of approximately 30 percent over Caribou Coffee’s closing stock price Dec. 14, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the transaction.

 Approximately 79 percent of adults in the United States drank coffee in the last two years, according to Chicago-based Mintel’s October 2011 Coffee report.  

 Illycaffè and The Coca-Cola Co. increased the size of their Illy Issimo espresso-style beverages to give consumers an extra ounce in each bottle.  

 A study of mice with Type 2 diabetes found that a significant amount of coffee consumption could help protect against memory loss associated with advanced diabetes, as well as reduce weight gain and lower blood sugar levels, according to a May 10 article published in New York Daily News.