Natural bliss: Nestlé launches cold-brew coffee

Coffee is trending among Millennial and Generation Z consumers and with the experiential associations of coffee we are seeing their application as ingredients more often and made in ways that are more convenient to consume and moving from the coffeehouse to the home.

The coffee sector appears to be undergoing somewhat of a renaissance with a focus on upscaling premium coffee experiences or remaking them in the comfort of consumer homes.

Innova Market Insights tipped “Beyond the Coffeehouse” as the #5 trend for this year and the new US roll-out of Nestlé’s latest product taps into this.

COFFEE-MATE natural bliss, a leader in all-natural coffee creamer since 2011, is launching its ready-to-drink Cold Brew Coffee. COFFEE-MATE natural bliss Cold Brew Coffee is available in Sweet Cream and Mocha flavored varieties.

As with all COFFEE-MATE natural bliss products, Cold Brew Coffee is crafted with all-natural ingredients and is positioned as a “pick-me-up” beverage for the home and workplace.

It is crafted using an intensive brewing process: 100 percent Arabica beans are slowly steeped in cool water for 12 hours to create a smooth, not bitter, taste.

Ingredients include non-fat milk, cold brew coffee, cane sugar, heavy cream, natural flavor and baking soda (to prevent settling). The Mocha flavored offering also contains sea salt and cocoa. The ingredients are all-natural, non-GMO, Kosher and gluten-free, with real milk and cream that come from California cows that are not treated with the growth hormone rBST.

“Cold brew consumption has risen 80 percent in the last year and we saw a great opportunity to expand our product portfolio into the ready-to-drink space to further meet consumer demands and lifestyles,” said Avantika Chakravorty, Manager of Marketing for Ready-to-Drink Coffee.

“We first introduced our Cold Brew Coffee to the West Coast last year to great success and are looking forward to sharing it with consumers nationwide. Increased consumer demand partnered with our all-natural ingredient list gives consumers the premium coffeehouse experience they can enjoy anywhere.”

Nestlé faces accusation of including milk derivative in coffee creamer advertised as lactose-free
Meanwhile, a US consumer has filed a class action lawsuit against Nestlé for allegedly falsely advertising its coffee creamers as lactose-free.

Heather Erwin, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed a complaint last month in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Nestlé USA Inc. alleging it violated the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act.

According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that in 2017, she purchased Nestlé Coffee-Mate coffee creamer in flavors including caramel macchiato, French vanilla and peppermint. She claims the creamers were advertised as being lactose-free but include sodium caseinate, a cow's milk derivative that contains lactose.

As a result, the plaintiff claims she was damaged for paying a premium price for the products that are worth less than they were represented. The plaintiff holds Nestlé USA responsible because it allegedly falsely represented that the products are lactose-free.

FoodIngredientsFirst has reached out to Nestlé USA for comment.