Keurig Dr Pepper says it is targeting ‘sophisticated convenience’ with its Intelligentsia Coffee K-Cup pod launch indicating further synergies between JAB Holding Co's legion of US coffee brands
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The partnership demonstrates specialty coffee’s growing mainstream appeal in the at-home, particularly in the US | Photo credit:
Keurig Dr Pepper has announced the launch of Intelligentsia in K-Cup pods for its Keurig brewing system, as it seeks to harness growing demand for specialty coffee in the US.
The partnership with Chicago-based roaster Intelligentsia Coffee demonstrates specialty coffee’s growing mainstream appeal in the US at-home coffee market. Both Keurig Dr Pepper and Intelligentsia Coffee are controlled by German conglomerate JAB Holding Company, which took a majority stake in the Chicago-based coffee chain via its Peet's Coffee chain in 2015.
US boutique café brand Bluestone Lane and North Carolina-based Counter Culture Coffee, have both introduced coffee pods to capitalise on heightened demand for high-quality coffee at home since the pandemic.
"As consumers increasingly look for sophisticated convenience, partnering with Intelligentsia will allow us to continue offering vast variety and choice across all categories of coffee brands, at the touch of a button," said Mauricio Leyva, President of Coffee, Keurig Dr Pepper.
"Over the past two years we've had several customers tell us that they want extraordinary coffee in convenient formats. We recently began working with the Keurig team and are impressed with their technological advancements in the brewers,” added James McLaughlin, CEO, Intelligentsia Coffee.
Keurig Dr Pepper was formed in 2018 after JAB Holding Company acquired US soft drinks manufacturer and distributor, Dr Pepper Snapple, and merged it with its Keurig Green Mountain coffee business in a deal worth $18.7bn.
The company controls a portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed, partner and allied brands, including retail coffee products from prominent US branded chains, Krispy Kreme, Panera Bread, Cinnabon, Caribou Coffee, Tully’s Coffee and Gloria Jeans Coffee.
Keurig Dr Pepper’s other retail coffee brands include Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Van Houte and Diedrich Coffee.