Seattle’s Best Coffee Reinvents its Business Model and Brand as Part of Major Growth Strategy

Seattle’s Best Coffee’s brand transformation is being fueled by significant, high-profile retail relationships and expanded franchising efforts that will increase from 3,000 points of distribution earlier this year to more than 30,000 by the end of Starbucks fiscal year.

14 May 2010 --- Seattle’s Best Coffee, part of Starbucks Corporation has unveiled a new brand direction as part of a bold reinvention of the coffee company that was acquired in 2003. The new brand identity, including a new logo, will play a key role in Seattle’s Best Coffee’s strategy to redefine the traditional conventions of the coffee category, making high-quality coffee more accessible than ever before.

Seattle’s Best Coffee’s brand transformation is being fueled by significant, high-profile retail relationships and expanded franchising efforts that will increase from 3,000 points of distribution earlier this year to more than 30,000 by the end of Starbucks fiscal year.

“After decades of experience in the coffee business and providing millions of customers with our distinctive and approachable coffee, we are fully unleashing the power of the Seattle’s Best Coffee brand to create the next global coffee brand, inspired by our belief that everyone deserves a great cup of coffee,” said Michelle Gass, president, Seattle’s Best Coffee. “We are determined to turn the traditional coffee model on its head with innovative new approaches in every phase of our business partnerships, retail, and packaged goods – and to take our premium coffee to the places our customers go in their everyday lives.”

From cafes and cruise ships to bookstores and grocery aisles, Seattle’s Best Coffee’s diverse distribution network is rapidly expanding. Also, the company announced an agreement with AMC Theatres (AMC) to serve Seattle’s Best Coffee at the leading theatrical exhibitor’s nearly 300 AMC Theatres nationwide beginning in July. As previously announced, Seattle’s Best Coffee will also be offered at all BURGER KING restaurants in the United States by September. These new relationships join Seattle’s Best Coffee’s growing roster of partners, which includes Alaska Airlines, Borders bookstores and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, among others.

“Our new brand identity was inspired by the history of the Seattle’s Best Coffee culture, one of optimism and fun,” said Gass. “The new brand direction will bring a simplified approach to the coffee category in all the ways it will touch the customer.”

The new Seattle’s Best Coffee logo maintains the brand’s historic association with its name and the color red while assembling a number of universal coffee symbols, such as a drop and a cup, in an unexpected way. The new logo was designed by Creature, an independent brand and advertising agency based in Seattle.

“Our ambitions for the new Seattle’s Best Coffee brand are as significant as our aspirations to become a multi-billion dollar business, and we designed the new logo to one day become a universally recognized and reassuring symbol for great tasting coffee everywhere,” said Gass.

Furthering its commitment to guest service and satisfaction, AMC will begin serving Seattle’s Best Coffee in July as part of the company’s efforts to provide differentiated food and beverage options to make the entertainment experience more comfortable, convenient and enjoyable for the 200 million guests who visit AMC Theatres across the country.

Moviegoers visiting any of AMC’s nearly 300 theatres in the United States will enjoy a great tasting, freshly brewed cup of Seattle’s Best Blend coffee, and almost 70 locations will serve espresso-based beverages as well.

“Guest satisfaction is the foundation of the AMC experience and Seattle’s Best Coffee brings a high-quality, great tasting cup of coffee to millions of AMC guests in our theatres throughout the United States,” said Gerry Lopez, chief executive officer and president, AMC. “The addition of Seattle’s Best Coffee to our concession offerings allows our guests to enjoy a fresh-brewed, premium cup of coffee at our theatres which gives us a competitive advantage and also allows us to provide a consistent coffee experience circuit-wide.”