With many consumers having found ways to recreate their own coffee shop ‘experience’ at home in recent times, not least via premium beverage purchases, outlets are being encouraged to focus on quality as re-opening gathers apace in the countdown to the summer months.
Extra edge
New soft drinks producer Kyon (www.kyondrinks.com) – UK creator of the bold and zesty Ppinger – reports that it is now proud to bear the Vegetarian Society approved trademark. Only licensed to products that meet their strict criteria, the Vegetarian Society approved trademark accreditation is awarded following independent and production method checking by their own expert panel.
“We are so proud that our first foray into non-alcoholic beverages - the Ppinger – has been accredited with the most long-standing and well-established trademark of its type. From the beginning it was essential that our fiery ginger and fruity apple soft drink would have wide appeal by containing all natural ingredients. Endorsement by the Vegetarian Society is testament to this and strengthens the Kyon Drinks brand credibility as well as giving additional reassurance to consumers,” says Kyon Drinks founder, Daniel Suppey.
An invigorating and lower level sugar substitute to a regular canned drink, the bold and interesting Ppinger is formulated around full body ginger extract, giving it a complex and aromatic character that leaves lingering warmth on the palate.
Extracted from the fresh rhizome root of the finest ginger sourced from Peru and Costa Rica, Ppinger also includes freshly squeezed lime plus apple juice and elderflower concentrates mixed with water to impart its distinctively bold yet appetising flavour. Developed to be enjoyed straight, this highly versatile non-alcoholic drink makes an adventurous and fiery mixer too, whether blended in a smoothie, a ‘mocktail’ or shaken with a little rum.
As well as being revitalising to the senses, ginger is a well-known antioxidant and immune booster, point out Kyon, making it the perfect choice for consumers looking for products with additional health benefits. Loaded with antioxidants – essential natural compounds that help prevent and reduce stress on the body’s DNA – ginger is also a potent anti-inflammatory. In addition, ginger has many other well-documented health benefits such as helping to settle tummy upsets, soothe travel and morning sickness and ease digestion.
With consumers now far more aware of the sugar content of their drinks too, Ppinger contains only low levels of naturally occurring fruit sugars. Made in the UK it is gluten free, contains no added preservatives and is also suitable for vegans. The bright and zesty green and gold recyclable packaging reflects the brand’s vitalising ingredients, while the clear glass bottle ensures consumers can see the fresh and vibrant natural contents. The RSP for the 250ml bottle is £2.50 and £6.00 for the 750ml bottle.
B.Fresh (www.b-fresh.co.uk) - home to the production of a wide range of nutritious cold pressed juices, smoothies and shots – say that they create their beverages with their end-consumer’s health goals in mind through what they describe as “no nonsense goodness.”
“We pride ourselves on our commitment to sustainability, honesty and nurturing produce from the farm to your fridge,” says Helena Spicer, the company’s sales and marketing executive. “We're all about sustainability. All of our packaging is recyclable, from bottle to box. Our offices and factory are powered by solar energy and we use wonky veg to reduce waste!
“We’ve also found that it pays to spend more. We re-launched our 500ml bottles towards the end of last year as they are a more sustainable way to enjoy our cold-pressed juices. As well as being more sustainable, you also save 20% from buying one 500ml bottle versus two 250ml - great for you, your wallet and for the environment. We then decided to do even better and launched a 750ml version of our apple and orange juice.
“All of our juices and shots are made cold pressed on site and from delivery they have a shelf life of 21 days, meaning that you won’t have to constantly be ordering stock every few days - you can buy in bulk whilst knowing they'll stay fresh for longer. We have always prided ourselves in packing 100% honest ingredients into every bottle. We grow it on the farm, pick it by hand, press it on site and then deliver straight to your door.”
The well known drinks brand, Luscombe Drinks (www.luscombe.co.uk), says that it is thrilled to announce that it has been awarded a Royal Warrant (awarded in recognition of businesses who supply a very high quality service or product, and one that is enjoyed by the royal households).
“After many years of having the pleasure of selling our drinks to the royal family and pressing the apples from the Highgrove Estate, I am delighted that Luscombe Drinks has been given the Royal Warrant,” says Luscombe founder, Gabriel David (pictured).
“This is an enormously prestigious accolade and there are only a handful of so drinks producers who have been awarded one. Our drinks have been enjoyed by the Royal family at home, served at palace events and Buckingham Palace tea parties for many years, so it is fantastic to now gain this formal recognition.”
Luscombe Drinks has been producing authentically crafted drinks on a farm in Devon since 1975, with founder and owner, Gabriel David, having become renowned for his pursuit of perfection and no compromise approach to creating an elegant and multi award-winning range of so drinks that use the very finest organic ingredients. The drinks are blended from the finest organic fruits and Luscombe’s own source of Dartmoor spring water.
“The awarding of this Royal Warrant could not have come at a better time. It has been an incredibly tough year for our industry and our business, but this feels like a flag of positivity amongst all of the challenges - a sign that things are changing and better times are to come. As the hospitality industry starts to fully re-open we are optimistic that this marks the start of a fantastic post-lockdown future,” adds Gabriel David.
Cold brew more mainstream
Monin reports that it is continuing its dedication to consistently delivering new and exciting flavours with the release of Monin Cold Brew Concentrate. A delicate and lightly sweetened product, its aromatic and flavourful properties aim to help secure its place as a flexible component for any café operator or coffee shop, say the brand.
Introduced originally in selected markets in 2013, cold brew is made by infusing ground coffee in cold water for approximately 12 hours. After becoming more broadly available from 2015, it is now reaching the mainstream. With the total market worth of $1.7 billion in 2019, cold brew continues to rise in popularity and fulfils the consumer need for a coffee ‘experience’, feel Monin (in Europe in 2018, two in five launches within the coffee market were cold brew, demonstrating its rising popularity with consumers).
Cherry Lavendar Cold Brew Soda
Ingredients
- 30ml of Le Fruit de Monin Cherry
- 10ml of Monin Lavender syrup
- 50ml of Monin Cold Brew Concentrate
- 160ml of sparkling water
Method
Mix all of the ingredients with the exception of the sparkling water in a tumbler filled with ice. Finish with sparkling water. Mix and serve. Decorate with whipped cream and a maraschino cherry.
Monin’s authentic recipe is made with 100% Arabica coffee extract from Colombia. With an aromatically strong flavour profile, the natural extraction procedure releases the coffee’s energising aromatic properties. Monin Cold Brew Concentrate is a convenient and profitable addition to the Monin range with each 1L bottle providing 25 servings, and countless serving suggestions to suit every outlet.
“With its powerful and atypical profile, cold brew is the revolutionary drink of the coffee world in recent years,” says Lee Hyde, beverage innovation manager at Monin UK.
“The pandemic has instigated a consumer preference for more unique coffee offerings. At-home working has placed limitations on the variety of coffee available for shoppers, so the easing of restrictions has got customers eager to try something new.
“The growth of cold brew has provided a significant opportunity for us to tap into an already expanding market as the leading coffee syrup brand, to meet this new consumer demand. The progressive easing of Covid-19 restrictions provides coffee shops and cafes with a chance to maximise profits by utilising an exciting and on-trend product. Now a must for baristas, it can be used to make a multitude of soft drinks.”
A Standard Cold Brew Coffee and Cold Brew Vanilla Iced Latte are two popular and best-selling options to have available on your menu, report Monin, whereas for a more artisanal offering, a Cherry Lavendar Cold Brew Soda provides consumers with a more unique way to try Monin Cold Brew.
Monin Cold Brew is currently available in 25cl and 70cl, with more sizes to follow later in the year. The new variety is suitable for vegans, and free from artificial flavourings, colourings, and allergens and has an ambient shelf life of up to three months after opening and up to 18 months unopened.
Bottleshot Cold Brew Coffee (www.bottleshotbrew.com) has landed in the UK and says that it is on a mission to bring New Orleans-quality cold brew coffee to the nation the way it should be - full of flavour, full bodied, ethical, no additives and with a clean caffeine kick (cold brew coffee the New Orleans way).
Taking inspiration from its founders’ hometown, New Orleans, ‘Bottleshot’ offers a cold brew, ready-to-drink coffee that’s “unapologetically simple”, say the brand. Using Rainforest Alliance Certified Arabica beans sourced from Brazil and Colombia, Bottleshot offers two types of canned coffees, each with a base of just three ingredients.
Whilst most on-the-go coffees are made from multiple ingredients, additives and often sugars to create their flavour profiles, Bottleshot’s signature ‘Coffee Black’ consists of just three - cold coffee, water and chicory extract - the latter bringing that smooth New Orleans taste. By adding just one more ingredient – oat milk - the brand’s latest offering, Coffee Oat Milk, was born.
Unlike many cold coffees, instead of roasting coffee beans Bottleshot steeps its ethically sourced beans in cold water for almost 24 hours. This process not only creates a smoother, stronger energy kick (one can is as strong as two espresso shots, they claim), but it also means it has 60% less acidity than regular coffee, so as to create a cleaner flavour profile that’s also kind to your gut.
Bottleshot’s two signature flavours are available online and direct from Bottleshot at Amazon Prime, Whole Foods and Ocado. It can also be found at all Soho House venues across the UK, where it is the exclusive cold-brew provider.
A new kombucha
Thanks to lockdowns, lots of us have spent the past year treating ourselves to premium items by splashing out on new products and flavours we’ve previously not tried before, observe tea company, teapigs (www.teapigs.co.uk), and as the hospitality sector re-opens, it’s essential that your tea offering and grab and go fridges can cater for this, feel the brand.
One product that has been making serious waves is kombucha – a fermented tea-based drink. According to Nielson data forecast, the UK Kombucha market is set to grow by 33% this year, and teapigs say that they are excited to announce that they will be the first recognised tea brand to make Kombucha, with their very own range launching for general order (three flavours are available - original, ginger & lemongrass and peach & mango).
Each flavour is brewed in small batches in the UK with a live Scoby, along with top quality teapigs tea sourced by trained tea taster and co-founder, Louise Cheadle. teapigs Kombucha is 100% natural, say the company, so you won’t find any artificial flavours or sweeteners in the cans. What’s more, 5p per can is donated to the teapigs ethical scheme which supports vulnerable young people in Rwanda (where teapigs source much of their tea).
“Being in the tea world, kombucha is everywhere, and we couldn’t help but think there’s always been one thing missing from the hype – the tea! Rather than using syrups, juices of flavourings, we’ve got an award-winning range of teas and fruit infusions. So why not use those real brewed teas to make a delicious drink? We figured better tea, equals better booch,” says Louise Cheadle.
“It’s going to be a summer of picnics and BBQs, so these handy cans are the perfect drink to take to the park or enjoy at home. Kombucha is also massively popular with those looking for healthier soft drinks or beverages that can be drunk as a grown-up, alcohol-free alternative – there’s only so much squash you can drink, right? Kombucha really ticks all the boxes for those drinks occasions throughout the day making it a must stock item.”
Available now for general wholesale order, the RRP is £1.90 per can (250ml) and they have a 12 month shelf life and can be supplied in six and 12 cans per case. Their packaging is recyclable, say teapigs, and they can be stored ambiently, but are best served chilled.
teapigs was set up in 2006 by Nick and Louise, self-professed tea nuts on a mission to get the nation drinking real tea. Louise has been a professional tea taster for over 15 years, and has travelled the world sourcing all sorts of teas. The result is a range of the very best quality teas using whole leaf teas, whole berries, and whole herbs and flowers. Their teas come in plastic-free tea ‘temples’ - roomy mesh bags that gives the leaves lots of room to infuse.