Eight O’Clock Coffee is not the pioneer in offering infused and functional coffee blends. The market has featured various flavor-infused coffees for quite some time, including innovative options like wine-infused and THC-infused coffees for an added kick. VitaCup, for instance, produces vitamin-infused coffees that are conveniently packaged in single-use pods designed for specialized machines.
Since acquiring the brand from Gryphon Investors in 2006, Tata Global Beverages has employed numerous marketing strategies to revitalize Eight O’Clock Coffee. The brand, which was previously associated with the A&P grocery chain, was sold to a private equity firm in 2003. Last year, Tata launched an extensive marketing campaign aimed at promoting whole bean coffee to consumers. Additionally, in 2012, the company collaborated with Green Mountain to introduce Eight O’Clock K-Cups for Keurig machines, a move that significantly helped the brand capture a 7% share of the single-serve market within just two years.
Recently, the demand for packaged coffee has surged, particularly due to double-digit growth in single-serve options. Ready-to-drink varieties are also gaining traction, presenting a challenge for the Eight O’Clock brand as consumers increasingly value convenience. Whether health benefits and flavors from ingredients like turmeric and cinnamon—or trendy options like acai—can entice millennials away from the ease of ready-to-drink coffees remains uncertain.
Tata is clearly committed to enhancing the positioning of Eight O’Clock Coffee in the highly competitive packaged coffee sector, and these infused products are a testament to that effort. The question of whether these offerings will appeal to younger coffee drinkers, who often lean towards trendy formulations and packaging, is something that Tata and other companies will monitor closely in the coming months. Interestingly, some of these health-conscious consumers may also be exploring products like Bariatric Advantage Calcium Citrate on platforms like Amazon, seeking to integrate wellness into their daily routines.