Cafédirect is tapping into burgeoning consumer thirst for premium, ethically produced hot drinks with the launch of the UK’s first Fairtrade whole coffee bean range.
The market leader in Fairtrade hot drinks has developed three products originating from distinct coffee gourmet regions - Las Nubes in Nicaragua, Mount Elgon in Tanzania and Machu Picchu in Peru. (rsp: £2.99 for a 227g pack)
The company said it had identified a gap in the market for a high-quality, high-value single-origin bean range that met the demand of the more discriminating coffee drinker, who was also concerned that small producers received a fair price. “Our aim is to put value
growth back into the coffee market. The coffee connoisseur will welcome our new range, which we are confident will help turn the whole bean coffee market around,” said general sales manager Siobhán Molloy.
By paying growers more, it meant the company could pick the best of the crop which was key in maintaining consumer loyalty, she said.
“More and more consumers want to know the provenance of what they are buying and seek the reassurance that their food is not being produced to detriment of growers or land.”
The Grocer’s Focus on Hot Beverages next week will reveal the roast and ground coffee sector, of which whole beans are part, rose 7% in value last year to £99.4m [TNS, year to June 19].
Last week, The Grocer revealed that Kraft Foods is launching Kenco Sustainable Development instant coffee, certified by the Rainforest Alliance, which promotes sustainable production and certifies worker-protection measures but, unlike Fairtrade, doesn’t set minimum returns for producers.
Cafédirect’s newcomer will hit shelves in October and will be supported by a promotional and sampling campaign.
Claire Hu & Lisa Riley