Twinings is to pour its premium tea expertise into the coffee market with a four-strong range of ground and roast blends.
Hitting shelves next month, the single-origin Intense, Rich, Mellow and Decaff coffees share their tea stablemates' premium positioning and are priced £2.79-£2.99 per 250g caddy.
The blends are made from 100% pure Arabica beans and took two years to develop. UK sales director Jon Jenkins said on-pack information, names and strength indicators were aimed at demystifying the sector by communicating clearly what consumers can expect .
"We discovered a lot of consumers are confused by single-origin coffees, not understanding how they will vary in flavour so picking products through pot luck," he added.
The range, which has been warmly received by buyers, will be listed first in Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsbury's and is expected to reach the rest of the trade in the following three to four months.
"Twinings has really demonstrated commitment to add excitement and invigorate the category. It will not only give ground and roast coffee drinkers more choice, but will also appeal to loyal Twinings tea drinkers, providing an easy first choice into real coffee," said David Whiffen, Sainsbury's hot beverages buyer.
The launch is being supported by a £3m marketing push, including TV ads due in the autumn. There will be an additional £12m spend for the total brand for 2007.
The company is predicting its new venture will grab a 10% share of the total £115m ground and roast coffee category within a year.
"I expect the range to generate £8.5m worth of retail sales in its first year," said Jenkins. "According to our research, 66% of existing coffee users would purchase the range and consumers preferred the taste of all four blends compared with their closest competitors."
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