Canned coffee has witnessed explosive growth in recent years. The market, valued at 13 billions, continues to expand rapidly as consumers seek convenient and energizing options.
The appeal of canned coffee stems from its portability, consistency, and ability to cater to diverse tastes with various flavors and formulations. It is popular in fast-paced urban environments where time is a luxury and on-the-go consumption is essential.
This article will provide you with a better understanding of the eight top canned coffee brands on the market today!
Some famous canned coffee brands.
A quick history of canned coffee
Canned coffee, is popular in many countries, especially in Japan.
The first commercially available canned coffee was introduced by the Ueshima Coffee Company (UCC) in Japan in the 1960s. The idea was to provide a convenient, ready-to-drink coffee option that didn’t require brewing. This innovation quickly caught on, driven by Japan’s fast-paced lifestyle and rising office worker numbers.
Founder of canned coffee Ueshima Tadao within the UCC group.
Over the decades, canned coffee has evolved, with various companies offering different flavors, including black coffee, lattes, and even specialty blends. Japan’s vending machine culture played a significant role in popularizing canned coffee, making it easily accessible at any time.
Today, canned coffee has spread beyond Japan, with many other countries adopting this convenient coffee solution. It represents a fusion of traditional coffee culture and modern convenience, meeting the needs of busy people all over the world.
Canned coffee vs fresh coffee
Are canned coffees good? Canned coffee and fresh coffee have distinct benefits and appeal to different consumer tastes.
Canned coffee excels in convenience, portability, and preservation. It’s pre-brewed and ready to drink, making it ideal for on-the-go consumption and being stored for a long time. However, the taste profile is often simpler, with a focus on sweetness and creaminess rather than complex flavor notes.
Fresh coffee, on the other hand, provides a more customizable experience, allowing for experimentation with different beans, grind sizes, and brewing methods. This often results in a richer, more nuanced flavor profile. However, it is served directly through coffee shops, which is more time-consuming and inconvenient to travel to.
Ultimately, the choice between canned and fresh coffee depends on individual priorities: speed, taste, or price. In recent years, canned coffee brands have launched an increasing number of products with more diverse and appealing flavors to meet consumer demand.
Why drink canned coffee?
If you’re looking for a quick, convenient, or novel way to get your daily cup of coffee, canned coffee is an option worth considering with the below benefits:
- Convenience: Canned coffee doesn’t need brewing, grinding, or any preparation. Consumers just open the can and enjoy. Besides, they can easily be carried in a bag or kept in a car.
- Time-Saving: For people who don’t have time to make coffee or who have hectic schedules, this is a perfect choice.
- Consistency & Quality: Canned coffee is manufactured under controlled conditions, resulting in a standardized product. By contrast brewing fresh coffee relies heavily on the barista’s skills.
- Variety: Canned coffee is accessible in various tastes and preparations, such as caramel, mocha, vanilla-flavored blends, black coffee, lattes, and cappuccinos.
- Shelf Life: Because of the preservatives and sealed packaging, canned coffee has a long shelf life, so it’s a good option for stocking up. Convenience is increased by the fact that most canned coffees can be kept at room temperature.
- Money-saving: Canned coffee is usually more affordable than making regular coffee at coffee shops. It also helps you avoid buying coffee-making equipment and related expenses.
The best-selling canned coffee on the market
The canned coffee market is a dynamic and rapidly evolving segment of the beverage industry. As consumers prioritize convenience without sacrificing quality, canned coffee products have become a popular option, combining the convenience of ready-to-drink formats with the premium taste profiles traditionally associated with specialty cafes.
The following information about the eight canned coffee brands will provide you with a better understanding of this market.
Boss Coffee
Boss Coffee is the best-selling canned coffee in Japan, with over 300 million cans sold annually. Suntory introduced Boss Coffee in 1992, and it quickly became a mainstay in the ready-to-drink coffee industry.
Boss’s familiar products. (Photo source: Boss Coffee)
Boss became well-known for its unique canned coffee, which was also very tasty and convenient. Actor Tommy Lee Jones frequently played the brand’s mascot, “Boss,” in commercials, and the character went on to become iconic with consumers. Boss Coffee has added more flavors and styles to its lineup over time, including Black, Latte, and Rainbow Mountain Blend.
Boss Coffee was able to sustain a strong market presence thanks to its dedication to quality and innovation. As the company gained popularity, it went global, offering its distinct coffee experience to people all over the world. Boss Coffee is still a market leader in Japan’s ready-to-drink coffee sector and is well-liked in the United States.
UCC Coffee
UCC Coffee, founded by the Ueshima Coffee Company in 1933, is a pioneering brand in Japan’s coffee industry. UCC is best known for introducing the world’s first canned coffee product in 1969, and it maintains its position today.
UCC is the world’s first canned coffee brand (Photo source: 7-Eleven Philippines)
UCC’s impressive sales revenue of 319.4 billion yen in fiscal year 2022 makes it one of the brands with a significant market share in Japan.
UCC provides a variety of flavors that have been meticulously crafted to appeal to a wide range of palates. Notable selections include Back, Beans & Roasters, Milk Coffee, and so on.
UCC’s influence extends well beyond Japan. They operate in several regions, including Asia, the Americas, and Oceania. UCC’s legacy extends across continents, from the Kona coffee farm in Hawaii to coffee shops in Taiwan and Europe. UCC Coffee remains a trusted name in the global coffee market, appealing to coffee enthusiasts all over the world, thanks to its commitment to high standards and adaptability to market trends.
Starbucks Ready to Drink
Starbucks, best known for its coffeehouse experience, has successfully expanded into the ready-to-drink coffee market. Starbucks controls 41% of the US RTD coffee market (2022). Their premium positioning appeals to consumers who want quality on the go.
Starbucks Ready to Drink beverages were introduced in the 1990s as part of a partnership with PepsiCo, with the goal of meeting the growing demand for convenient coffee options. The collaboration resulted in the popular bottled Frappuccino, which quickly gained traction.
Starbucks Ready to Drink caters to diverse consumer preferences with flavors ranging from classic coffee to innovative blends such as Iced Coffee, Frappuccino, Cold Brew, and Doubleshot Espresso.
The Starbucks brand has led to the rise of canned coffee (Photo source: Starbucks)
This innovation enabled Starbucks to maintain a strong presence outside of its cafes, reaching a larger audience via grocery stores and vending machines. Starbucks’ RTD products have become an important part of the company’s business strategy, helping to drive global expansion and solidify its position in the competitive ready-to-drink coffee market.
Dunkin Iced Coffee On the Go
Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee On the Go has made a significant impact on the ready-to-drink coffee market. As a subsidiary of Dunkin’ Donuts, a well-known coffee and donut chain in the United States, it enjoys strong brand recognition.
Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee offers a variety of classic and flavored options to meet the diverse tastes of its customers. The product line offers a variety of flavors, including Original, Mocha, French Vanilla, and Espresso, to cater to a wide range of taste preferences.
Dunkin’ Donuts’ ready-to-drink offerings are popular among on-the-go customers due to their convenience and familiar taste.
Similar to Starbucks ready-to-drink, Dunkin’ Iced Coffee gains from Dunkin’ Donuts’ enormous customer base and widespread appeal in the US market. Additionally, these two titans control the majority of canned coffee and coffee shop chains in America.
Dunkin Iced Coffee is a canned coffee product from Dunkin’ Donuts
Nescafe Cans
Nescafé Cans has a significant market share in the ready-to-drink coffee industry, owing to the Nescafé brand’s global recognition and trust, with products available in over 180 countries. This reflects rising consumer demand for convenient coffee solutions.
Nescafe Cans offers canned coffee in a variety of flavors, including Original, Mocha, Latte, and Espresso, to appeal to a wide range of taste profiles.
Nescafé’s strong brand recognition, combined with its extensive distribution network, has cemented its position as a top choice for consumers looking for convenient and satisfying canned coffee options.
Nescafé Cans is widely distributed in various countries
Iced Latte by Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee canned coffee has grown in popularity, greatly contributing to the brand’s overall success. This product has a strong market presence as part of the UK’s largest coffee shop chain, which is owned by Coca-Cola.
Their Iced Latte offerings, known for their smooth flavor and creamy texture, have taken a sizable market share. Iced Latte flavors include Classic, Vanilla, Caramel, and Mocha, catering to a wide range of consumer preferences.
Products from Costa Coffee are famous for their smooth and creamy milk flavor. (Photo source: Costa)
The Coca-Cola Company created this line to reinvigorate the coffee category, catering to those who want a ready-to-drink coffee that complements their active lifestyles. So, whether you’re drinking it during your morning workout or on the go, Costa’s Iced Latte is a refreshing choice!
La Colombe Canned Latte and Cold Brew
La Colombe’s journey from a small coffee shop in Philadelphia to a coffee chain in the United States, where they are constantly developing new products such as canned coffee, known as lattes, and cold brew. It has quickly cultivated a cult following, establishing the brand as a premium player in the ready-to-drink coffee category.
La Colombe’s products, renowned for their dedication to high-quality coffee beans and innovative brewing methods, have successfully translated its coffeehouse experience into convenient canned formats.
La Colombe caters to a discerning audience looking for a more elevated canned coffee experience, focusing on rich flavors and minimal sweeteners.
Varied canned coffee options from La Colombe. (Photo source: Lacombe)
High Brew Coffee
High Brew Coffee has made a name for itself in the ready-to-drink coffee market, attracting customers with its unique cold brew canned coffee.
High Brew, founded in Austin, Texas, has experienced impressive sales and revenue growth by capitalizing on its appeal to on-the-go consumers. Their canned coffee products come in a variety of flavors, such as Mexican Vanilla, Black & Bold, Caramel, and Dark Chocolate Mocha, all made with natural ingredients and robust flavors.
A line of cold-brew coffee beans with a variety of flavors (Photo source: Austin American Statesman)
The company’s emphasis on high-quality coffee beans and a cold brewing process has resonated with consumers looking for a smoother, less acidic coffee experience, helping it gain popularity in the competitive ready-to-drink market.
Conclusion
The global canned coffee market has expanded significantly, driven by rising consumer demand for convenient and high-quality coffee options.
Diverse flavors and ingredients, as well as continuous quality improvement, are key market trends that appeal to millennials and busy professionals. The growing popularity of coffee drinks is fueling the growth of the ready-to-drink coffee industry, cementing canned coffee’s position as a global beverage staple.
Seize the opportunity with canned coffee products by learning more about Tan Do’s OEM/ODM beverage production services. Contact us today to make your vision a reality. Our mission is to offer beverage companies unique, premium, and trendy formulas. TanDo’s goods have obtained numerous certifications, both domestic and international.
