Liquid gold

Despite a challenging financial year for many, a premium tea or coffee is one thing that consumers think of as an affordable luxury. Having a trusted and popular brand of coffee, be it machine or barista, is an absolute priority for any store. Herbal teas are bringing innovation to the market too

Brand Central

28 September 2020

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ResearchAndMarkets.com country profile report on the hot drinks sector in Ireland states that the sector is led by the hot coffee category in value terms and the category is forecast to register the fastest growth in both value and volume terms during 2018-2023. Supermarkets are the leading channel for distribution of hot drinks in this country.

Overall, coffee saw exceptionally strong growth in both retail volume and retail current value terms in 2019. This was mainly due to fresh ground coffee pods, which became hugely popular amongst Irish coffee drinkers over the review period.

Younger generations of Irish consumers are driving demand for new coffee trends, many of which they have experienced abroad. Third wave coffee houses are increasingly popular in Ireland at present. The third wave coffee movement is led by both consumers and manufacturers as a means to consume, enjoy, and appreciate high-quality coffee. This movement considers coffee an artisanal food, whose consumption experience can be enhanced with greater education and exploration beyond just a cup of coffee.

Tea meanwhile, will always be a staple in Irish households and herbal teas are proving very popular with the 20-40 year old female demographic. A report by Euromonitor Ireland published in November 2019, found that less traditional tea variants are seeing a surge in popularity. “Ireland is in the midst of a health and wellness revolution, driven by the continued government focus on the state of the nation’s health,” the analyst adds. Nevertheless, an ageing population and health awareness are also supporting the growth of black tea. In fact, Euromonitor points out that Ireland has the fastest-growing older population in the EU. The proportion of people aged 85+ is projected to double by the year 2031.

Although Ireland’s tea drinkers have historically been relatively slow to change their preferences, this has been changing in recent years. Premium tea companies began to thrive in recent years, driven by increased consumer sophistication, Euromonitor adds.

Milestone in business

Bewley’s is adding a full barista programme to its customer solutions

In the midst of an unprecedented year, Bewley’s has reached the milestone of 180 years in business. Since introducing tea to the Irish market in 1840, Bewley’s has continued with a history of firsts: the first to roast coffee in-store; the first to import Fairtrade coffee into Ireland; the first to introduce latte art; and the first carbon neutral coffee roastery in Ireland. Today, the Bewley’s business is focused on sustainably selecting, preparing and grading from the world’s most delicious coffees and teas. Bewley’s ranges consist of popular blends, innovative mixes and beautiful single origins. The company’s 100% Arabica Fairtrade coffee beans are carefully roasted locally in Dublin, ensuring optimum flavour and freshness. Bewley’s supports its customers through hot beverage business consultancy; full menu solutions; barista training; quality auditing; full retail solutions; and machinery purchasing, rental and servicing. In 2020, with over 4,000 retail and foodservice customers proudly serving Bewley’s, the company certainly has the expertise and product quality to grow hot beverages in your business.

Adding to the success of Bewley’s branded bean-to-cup coffee docks, Bewley’s is adding a full barista programme to its customer solutions. The barista programme focuses on an exceptional hot beverage and food offering, a modern design which takes inspiration from Bewley’s Grafton street café and world class training and supports. The Bewley’s barista programme is a highly profitable solution for operators supported by the number on recognised coffee brand in Ireland*. For more information, call Bewley’s today on 01 816 0600, or email sales@bewleys.com.

*(Source: Bord Bia brand health check, 2020)

Perfect for Irish tastes

Barry’s Tea range includes great options such as Gold, Original, Decaf and Master Blend varieties

As a family-owned Irish company, Barry’s Tea understands the importance of the ritual of tea in the morning. The company has spent years perfecting its much-loved tea blends and the team have used their skill and expertise to blend to Irish tastes since 1901.

Barry’s has a large repertoire of teas – including black teas, loose leaf, green teas, fruit and herbal infusions. There is something in the range for every taste and preference from Gold Blend, Decaf, Earl Grey and so much more.

Rooted in wellness

The new Barry’s Tea Natural Infusions range includes Matcha Green Tea, Turmeric, Night Time and Purity

The new Barry’s Tea Natural Infusions range consists of 100% natural ingredients that were carefully selected by the master blenders in Barry’s Tea. The new blends contain the highest grade of natural herbs, flowers, aromatic spices, and delicate green tea to bring consumers on a journey towards a sense of wellbeing and self-care when they need it most. The natural landscapes illustrated on each blend were inspired to bring tea lovers to a place of relaxation, balance, and restoration for that all-important ‘time out’ in their day.

Each blend contains 20 individual string and tag tea bags. The key demographic for the new range is health-conscious females aged between 20-40 years old, looking for some much-needed moments of ‘time out’. The launch of the new range commences this month and will be supported through a targeted social media initiative with key influencers alongside an online programmatic advert campaign to promote Barry’s Tea moments rooted in wellness.

The new Barry’s Tea Natural Infusion range includes Matcha, Turmeric, Night Time and Purity.

The range is available from www.barrysteashop.ie priced at €3.95 RRP. To share your thoughts on the new Barry’s Tea flavours visit: Facebook.com/BarrysTea, Twitter.com/BarrysTeaTweets and Instagram.com/barrysteagram.

Designed to perfection

2020 marks Nestlé’s sixth year running the Nescafé Azera by Design campaign

Nescafé is enjoyed in over 180 countries worldwide. With over 80 years of experience in selecting, roasting and blending the very best coffee, it’s no surprise that over 5,500 cups of Nescafé coffee are drunk every second.

Discover super premium barista-inspired instant coffee with Nescafé Azera. Now consumers can be their own barista and savour an incredible coffee moment with Nescafé Azera Americano. The recipe is made with a blend of instant and finely roasted coffee beans. Your customers can enjoy the flavour and aroma of this classic coffee whenever they want it; just add hot water, stir, and an Americano instant coffee is ready.

Nestlé is excited to announce the launch of five limited-edition tin designs as part of the Nescafé Azera by Design campaign. 2020 marks Nestlé’s sixth year running the campaign, with this year’s winning designs covering topics such as mental health, identity, and multiculturalism. The limited editions designs are available from this month onwards.

It’s toffee time

With 100% Arabica beans, Seattle’s Best Coffee is exclusively sourced from Latin America where the group works closely with famers to ensure consistency meaning incredible taste every time.

As we come into cooler, crisp autumn days, Seattle’s Best Coffee will be offering consumers a ‘taste of autumn’ with a Toffee Latte and Toffee Hot Chocolate.

The aim of the Toffee Syrup campaign is to bring on trend seasonal drinks to the market, gain new consumers and offer our existing consumers an alternative, comforting autumnal twist to their usual coffee.

Following this campaign, Seattle’s Best Coffee will launch a new-look Christmas cup and a festive Gingerbread Syrup, as Aryzta and Seattle’s Best Coffee continue to bring exciting beverage options to customers.

Another feather in its sustainable cap…(sule)

Frank and Honest’s airtight aluminium capsules keep the ground coffee inside fresh for longer

Frank and Honest is delighted to announce the launch of its new aluminium capsules marking the next step in its sustainable journey. The benefit of aluminium capsules is that they can be recycled after use and deliver a better-quality product.

These new capsules mean that all plastic has been removed from Frank and Honest’s coffee capsules. Using aluminium in capsules reduces the products’ environmental footprint as it’s lightweight and recyclable but it also significantly improves the quality of the coffee as it’s airtight – it keeps the ground coffee inside fresh for longer and fully protects it from moisture, oxygen, light and heat. This improves in-cup quality and delivers a superb taste, according to the brand. The new aluminium capsules are also compatible with all generation Nespresso machines excluding Nespresso Vertuo.

Recycling tips

When it comes to recycling Frank and Honest aluminium capsules, there are two options:

1) DIY method:

After using the capsule, leave it to cool down fully
Remove the lid (this can be cut off with a scissors)
Empty the coffee out. The grounds can go into compost/brown bin or used in your garden
Rinse the aluminium capsule and lid. These can go into recycling/green bin

2) Purchase a dualit recycler:

These are simple to use and available to purchase in selected SuperValu and Centra stores. You can see how they work online at dualit.com/products/ecopress-aluminium-capsule-recycler.

From bean to cup, Frank and Honest’s sustainability credentials are taken into consideration and the coffee company has put processes in place to ensure it looks at sustainable optimal solutions for each stage of its coffee making journey. For more information on Frank and Honest’s sustainable solutions, visit www.frankandhonest.ie.

40% sales increase during lockdown

Following a steady increase in demand for its range, Velo Coffee Roasters now employs 11 people

Cork-based business, Velo Coffee Roasters, has just announced its first large export order bound for a premium retail food chain in Malaysia.

“This is our first bulk export order and marks an exciting new chapter for Velo Coffee Roasters,” says owner Rob Horgan. “We’ve had a very busy six months, increasing our sales by 40%, and this is the icing on the cake,” he adds. “Our website sales have increased dramatically and to date we have shipped to 19 countries and growing. We are doing in a day now what we might have sold in a month last year and our retail sales with Aldi have grown and grown. It’s clear that there is a customer for whom good coffee has become a topic of conversation.”

The Cork company opened its stand-alone roasting and packing facility just over 18 months ago following its nationwide listing with Aldi. It now employs 11 people due to the increased demand for its products which has been increasing steadily.

Following the ‘Grow with Aldi’ inaugural competition in 2018, Velo Coffee Roasters, along with four other Irish producers, was given a one-year full listing with Aldi which began in January 2019 and Velo Coffee Roasters’ listing has since been extended.

The Aldi listing has played an important role in the company’s expansion, according to Rob Horgan. “The support and mentoring offered by Grow with Aldi and Bord Bia has already benefitted our business immensely, and we are excited to see our product made available to Aldi shoppers across the country,” he says.

“We believe we offer something truly unique and are thankful to Aldi for giving us the opportunity to share it,” Horgan continues. “The expansion now of our retail reach to Asia is an exciting development and we aim to explore other markets.”

Velo Coffee Roasters has added two new team members looking after direct orders on www.velocoffee.ie, with the business experiencing an unprecedented demand for quality Irish coffee at home during the Covid-19 period.

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