Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC) has added a pair of ready-to-drink canned coffees to its UK roster.
Iced Latte and Iced Matcha Latte (both rsps: £2/250ml) have launched via the brand’s DTC platform.
They aimed to “give those with a busy lifestyle a refreshing boost”, UCC said.
Both were packaged in 100% recyclable cans, and contained less than 100 calories per 250ml can, it added.
UCC holds the Guinness World Record for producing the longest-selling ready to drink canned coffee, having debuted an RTD proposition in Japan in 1969.
The brand made its UK bow in 2021, and its whole bean and ground coffee products are currently stocked with Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Ocado.
“Our ready-to-drink range has been crafted with the same passion and dedication that has made Ueshima Coffee Company a beloved brand in Japan and beyond,” said UCC Marketing controller Kirsty Pavely. “We’ve seen a strong demand for our at-home coffee range, and we hope to replicate this success with this latest NPD.”
The launch comes with younger millennial and Gen Z shoppers increasingly opting for coffee served cold.
According to a study commissioned by Nestlé, 32% of the coffee consumed out of home was cold in 2023, the equivalent of one in every three cups.
The segment was “one of the fastest growing in the coffee industry” Nestlé said, with consumption of cold coffee having grown by 15% in the last four years.
Responding to the trend, Nestlé last month launched Nescafé Espresso Concentrate, a range of liquid coffee concentrates, in Australia and China.
Last year, Britvic acquired challenger RTD brand Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, whilst London coffee brand Grind swallowed up Bottleshot Coffee, winding down the brand to launch its own RTD cans.
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