ADULT COOL: BEVERAGES FEEL THE CHILL Coffee and tea are turning into hip cold drinks in a bid to recruit younger drinkers Turning hot drinks into cold, could be described as a kind of alchemy, as manufacturers wise up to the opportunities it offers. Keen to wean young consumers on to tea and coffee, they are taking the cool route. Cans and touchy feely bottles in bright colours have all been designed to contain that ready-to-drink caffeine fix in a way youth can relate to. "The heaviest consumers of coffee are aged 35 and over," says Nestlé marketing manager Don Howat. "We've recognised that young people drink a lot of soft drinks and we need to capture them between the ages 16 to 24." As more sophisticated soft drinks hit the shelves, breaking into the adult soft drinks market is seen as the way forward to boost sales for manufacturers and retailers. Soft drinks generally have grown year on year but adult soft drinks have outperformed the sector. Nestlé's new hip, ready-to-drink chilled milk and coffee product, Nescafé Ice, has been backed to the tune of £5.4m this summer to break into the hallowed circle of youth. Both flavours, vanilla and mocha, were originally test marketed over a two year period in Bristol, Nottingham and Brighton under the Nescafé Metropolis name, and finally made their national debut in April. Howat believes the product will ensure the growth of the coffee market by bringing in younger people. The merchandising is key, he says. "Nescafé Ice is merchandised where you wouldn't normally find coffee ­ in the chiller cabinet ­ and while being iced coffee, sees consumers of soft drinks firmly within reach." Another player to jump into the market is distributor G Costa which recently launched Poccino Cool:Xpresso in the UK. This is a double espresso in a 100ml can, which is seen as another youth impulse product. Brand manager Claire Cornish says: "This ready-to-drink iced coffee is a classic Italian made espresso which comes complete with a convenient cup. "It is currently targeted at London through independent retailers, but is also stocked at Sainsbury's flagship store in Cromwell Road." This formula has also been tested by Nestlé in Germany. It showcased a canned extra strength coffee called Nescafé Xpress at Anuga in Cologne last year aimed at clubbers. But the company says it has no plans yet to introduce it in the UK. Following the iced route makes sense, says Novartis director of marketing Alastair Paton. "There's Lipton Ice, Nescafé Ice, Starbucks has brought out ice drinks, and now we have moved Options (see panel) into the chiller to bring new people into the category." Drinking on the hoof is an area Twinings is keen to exploit. Already a major player in the iced tea market with a four strong line up, this summer it added two ready-to- drink green teas to complement the range ­ green tea and lemon, and green tea and mandarin. Available in colourful 250ml cartons, the company says it offers "a perfect solution for those on the move". Peach is its bestseller but ready to drink green tea and lemon has moved into second place in popularity. Product manager Ellie Simmonds says: "Volume sales are up 70% on the range as a whole." In Austria, the company says, sales of RTD green tea makes up 14.4% of the iced tea market, and strong growth is expected in the UK. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

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