Market research indicates that caramel is the most popular flavour pairing with coffee. In 2023, caramel-flavoured beverages, like caramel nitro cold brew, represented a total of 3.6% of new product launches.
Caramel makes a drink feel more indulgent. This is a key purchasing point for many coffee consumers and an easy way to “customise” a drink. It’s also versatile and perfect when paired with different types of coffee, both hot and cold.
Today, more than half of younger coffee consumers prefer their coffee with added flavours like caramel, and 37% of them consume cold coffee daily.
This means that caramel nitro cold brew gives coffee brands an opportunity to capitalise on multiple consumer trends. We spoke with Maria Eduarda Becker Pavani, CEO of Três Maria Coffee Company, to understand more about how to reach new customers with your caramel nitro cold brew.
Caramel is nothing new
Caramel flavourings have been prominent in global coffee culture for decades. They first emerged with Starbucks’ introduction of its caramel macchiato in 1996. Since then, it has become a menu staple for the pioneering multinational chain.
Nearly all coffee brands, operators and chains have followed suit. Caramel flavouring is now a coffee shop staple and the most popular additive for modern consumers.
As consumer preferences have evolved, featuring a greater demand for cold coffee beverages, the caramel flavour has come along with them. Products like iced caramel lattes, caramel-infused cold brew, and even caramel frappes and frappuccinos are immensely popular.
Modern high-street coffee shop menus are evidence enough of this: Tim Hortons offers iced caramel macchiatos, Caribou makes a caramel espresso shaker, and Costa Coffee prepares a range of cold frappés with a caramel base.
Moreover, with the recent surge in popularity of RTD coffee, caramel flavourings have started appearing in canned form – such as caramel nitro cold brew. Starbucks, Black Rifle, Arctic Coffee, Greggs, and Super Coffee, to name just a few, all offer caramel-flavoured RTDs on their menus.
Social media has only helped caramel trends grow, where ‘Instagram-worthy’ drinks can go viral. A prime example is the 2021 TikTok trend that flooded Starbucks locations worldwide with orders for a specific iced coffee topped with caramel drizzle.
Where does caramel fit in with modern consumers’ purchasing behaviour?
Younger consumers are the demographic most likely to request additional flavourings for their coffee orders. They are also the most likely to seek convenient beverage types, like RTDs and beverages compatible with alternative diets.
Several companies have already responded to these purchasing drivers by launching products that match all three categories.
For example, alongside more traditional dairy-based caramel RTDs, Starbucks and alt-milk specialist Califia Farms also offer plant-based caramel lattes, combining indulgent flavourings with alternative milks in a convenient canned RTD format.
At Hardtank, we’ve gone a step further: our vegan caramel latte is a caramel nitro cold brew, featuring an indulgent caramel flavour in an oat-based latte that is infused with nitrogen to elevate the mouthfeel and offer consumers even more variation.
The popularity of additional flavourings and alternative milk types among modern consumers are just two examples of the overarching trend of beverage customisation – a 2024 report from UK coffee roaster Lincoln & York found that a massive 75% of consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 ‘always’ or ‘occasionally’ opt for a flavoured syrup in their coffee, and 37% choose alternative milks.
“Oat milk gives you that thick, creamy texture that’s perfect for coffee. Plus, the fat content is just right – not too much, not too little – so you get a smooth mouthfeel that’s super close to cow’s milk,” says Maria.
“Vegan or not, everyone deserves a great cup of coffee; whether it’s for allergies, lifestyle choices, or any other reason, people shouldn’t have to compromise.”
“Seeing the World Barista Championship embrace alternative milk just shows that this isn’t a trend; it’s the new normal in our modern world.”
By offering a nitro caramel latte RTD, coffee brands can tap into the intersection of multiple growing consumer trends: customisation, convenience and indulgence.
Create your own line of caramel nitro cold brew
Modern consumer trends change and transform quickly, and keeping up can be challenging for businesses without the financial or manufacturing resources of a large multinational.
Building advanced, scalable, and safe manufacturing facilities is impractical, but the combination of coffee and RTD production expertise is rare for the best-funded organisations.
Roasters, café owners, small businesses and chains would be better suited to partnering with a private label caramel nitro cold brew manufacturer that can safely and expertly produce the products you need.
Moreover, some private label manufacturers, like Hardtank, emphasise accessibility for these businesses by offering lower MOQs, lower overall manufacturing costs, and faster lead times so that coffee brands with limited resources can go to market quickly.
For example, our MOQs start from just 3,000 units per SKU, whereas larger manufacturers can request anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 units. We also offer fully customisable labelling and packaging services so your products honestly and accurately reflect your brand look and feel.
As your brand grows, we can also scale alongside you, increasing your capacity and offering multiple new beverage types, like canned iced tea or vegan oat lattes, so you can stratify your offerings and keep your customers happy and engaged.
Coffee expertise is also a crucial point to consider. The team behind Hardtank have been a pioneering force in the specialty coffee industry for more than twenty years.
Our private label caramel nitro cold brew services are just one way we support the broader coffee industry by helping coffee brands go to market more quickly and confidently. With MOQs, low lead times, and a BRC-certified facility, we help coffee brands replicate the standards they’re already known for.
To learn more about sourcing your own line of caramel nitro cold brew products, visit our website or contact us directly.
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Caramel nitro cold brew
