INSTANT OBSERVATIONS FROM SCA EXPO PORTLAND

Brian Paul | Ground Up Coffee & Tea | 4 Minutes

 

The coffee world recently descended upon Portland, Oregon to talk all things Specialty Coffee.  For those that haven’t been to the SCA Expo, it’s a forum to experience amazing coffees, interact with producers and origins, and network with coffee allies across the coffee supply chain.  In turn, it’s an opportunity to build your brand and partnerships within the coffee industry.

For our part, Ground Up was showcasing our newly launched Single Origin Specialty Coffee Series along with our Instant Cold Brews and our Functional Instant Coffee Series.  Our observations from the show were:

 

There is Massive Interest in Specialty Grade Instant Coffee

In terms of extending the line of stand-alone beverages, we met with over 25 Roasters/Café Owners – all interested in how Specialty Instant Coffee could work for them.  Each asked the same question:

How is Specialty Instant Coffee produced?  In simplest terms – it’s the same as any instant coffee.  The goal is to create a great cup that maintains the origin’s characteristics.  Achieving that goal begins with treating coffee with the same consideration as the green coffee producer.  For instant coffee that means being thoughtful about each step of the conversion process and using low temperature methods wherever possible.

 

RTDs Remain Everywhere

From dairy and plant-based milk options to functional coffees and teas to Cannabis beverages, RTDs were on prominent display throughout the EXPO.  They were even more noticeable than at last year’s EXPO in Boston.   We found a noteworthy handful of milk producers (of all types) interested in extending their brand to include additional flavor or functionality options and complement their lines with dessert.  The thought of specialty instant coffee used in the development of Protein beverages, ice creams, and other frozen desserts piqued the interest of brands within this category.

 

Rethinking Cold Coffee at Cafés

Café owners were highly interested in the ability to use Liquid Coffee extracts to achieve a variety of operational and business development goals.  The themes for cafés were:

• Free up resources by using extracts as the base for cold brews, cold coffee drinks, and as a potential replacement for espresso in their espresso drinks.
• Improve margins as higher brix extracts translate to lower costs on cafes per serving
• Providing a retail option (new revenue channel) that allows cafés to market their experience beyond the walls of the café itself.

 

Sustainability

You can’t have a conversation in coffee without sustainability being a part of every topic of discussion.  Pertaining to sustainability, the most common question directed toward us was; ‘what are the non-plastic packaging options?’.   A spectrum of options are available:

• You have recyclable options like Glass and Aluminum.
• Bio-degradable and compostable options like plant-based materials.
• There are even dissolvable options (see what Earthshot Prize winner, Notpla, is up to).

Regardless, there are many options on market that fit the sustainability and functionality criteria of your brand and its consumers.