KANSAS CITY — The coffee industry is heating up with new innovations, as customization continues to drive growth.
The at-home coffee category saw a period of significant growth during pandemic-era restrictions. Although at-home coffee consumption rates have peaked, levels continue to remain above pre-pandemic numbers. Consumers are gravitating toward both premium and customizable options for at-home consumption.
“Consumers are bypassing the coffee shop and making their own specialty coffee beverages at home, often replicating the cold coffee drinks seen on their social media feeds,” said Caleb Bryant, associate director of food and drink at Mintel in a September 2023 interview. “Increased interest in premium at-home coffee experiences will drive retail coffee sales and offer both coffee brands and complementary coffee categories key growth opportunities.”
Frazy, a custom beverage startup, developed a line of shelf-stable boba tea. The product comes with a 2.5-oz aluminum bottle of tea concentrate, a vacuum-sealed packet of boba tapioca pearls and milk powder. After softening the tapioca pearls in the microwave for three seconds, the ingredients may be combined with hot or cold water to create an 8-oz beverage.
“Our new boba teas mark the next step in the evolution of Frazy Bottles,” said Balaji Krishnan, founder and chief executive officer of Frazy. “Our wide variety of options enables people to try different customized boba teas they wouldn’t have a chance to order otherwise, and also allows consumers who live in markets that don’t have boba to enjoy their favorite boba tea at home, work or on the go.”
On the foodservice side, Starbucks introduced its fall menu, which was inspired by “barista and consumer creativity.” New introductions included an Iced Apple Crisp Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, a combination of Starbucks Blonde Espresso and flavor notes like apple, cinnamon and brown sugar, and the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Latte.
“We’re excited to celebrate the creativity of our baristas and customers by offering the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte on the official fall menu,” said Billy Altieri, beverage developer at Starbucks. “The warm spice flavors of chai and pumpkin seamlessly blend together, creating a creamy and comforting iced beverage.”
