Company: Sara Lee
Rsp: £3.69/30 servings
Competition: Nescafé, Kenco
The sell: The single-portion blocks of coffee would appeal to the one in four UK instant coffee drinkers who think ground coffee is “too difficult to make”


The consumer
This is a handy piece of NPD. The compressed ground coffee tablets allow you to make a decent cup of coffee, but without any mess. The concept also means you use the right dose every time, so you don’t end up with a brew that’s too strong or too weak.

I will buy this again and have no trouble spotting it on shelf because of its bright and eye-catching packaging. It is, however, slightly pricier than its instant competition, and the question is whether all consumers will be prepared to pay the extra regularly.
Hayley Day, housewive & mother, Lindfield


The retailer
Coffee is all about individual taste so I am not quite sure why we need a guide as to how much to put into the cafetières. The 50p-sized ground coffee bean-formed shapes also seem to defy logic. Personally I like my coffee strong, and with Aromettes you get the great taste you’d expect from Douwe Egberts, but the concept seems a little weak.
Andy Cook, marketing manager, Booths


The Grocer
This is the first really innovative NPD to hit the UK coffee market in some time. Already a “big hit” in Europe, the product has been brought to the UK to rival instant coffee, and being so easy-to-make and flavoursome it’s much superior to instant in taste it should succeed in grabbing share from Nestlé and Kenco.

The only minus point is that you still have to use a coffee maker. It would have been perfect if you could put the tablets straight in the mug.
Lisa Riley, food & drink reporter

Topics