The most significant driver of global coffee beverage purchasing is convenience.

The definition of convenience may have changed over time – instant coffee instead of a French press, high-street coffee instead of at-home, or a canned espresso tonic instead of visiting a cocktail bar – but regardless of age, all coffee consumers demand convenient beverages.

As younger generations, namely Gen-Z and Millenials, come to represent a more significant proportion of the coffee market, demands for convenience are only set to increase – these are the consumer groups most accustomed to on-demand lifestyles. 

Paired with macro consumer trends for increased beverage variety, more low/no-alcohol drinks, and better RTD beverages, canned espresso tonic offers coffee brands the opportunity to capitalise, gain market share, and win new business. 

To learn more about canned espresso tonic, we spoke with Anne Lunell, Swedish Brewer’s Cup and Barista champion and co-founder of Koppi Roasters in Helsingborg, Sweden.

What is an espresso tonic?

Espresso tonic came to the fore in 2007 thanks to Swedish Barista and Brewer’s Cup champion Anne Lunnel, co-founder of Koppi Roasters in Helsingborg, Sweden. 

Since then, baristas competing in national and international competitions have commonly used tonic water and espresso as a base for their ‘signature drink,’ a compulsory task for most events. 

Recipes may vary from coffee shop to coffee shop. Still, the approach is straightforward: Pour tonic water over ice and then add a double shot of espresso to create a photogenic separation of the liquids for serving before the drinker stirs to combine. 

“We loved the combination of coffee, a good tonic, and a slice of citrus, and figured if we loved it, so would our guests,” says Anne.

“Our first version was made with Aricha – a natural processed coffee from Kebebe – Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. We really like the fruity and berry-like flavour of the coffee and how it enhanced the drink.

“I’d say that at least 9 out of 10 of our guests who tried it fell in love instantly. It is elegant, fruity, crisp, and very refreshing. And I think that is a big part of its success around the world – it sounds interesting, and I think that’s why so many decide to try it, and most of them tend to like it.”

For the ready-to-drink segment, canned espresso tonic combines cold brew coffee with tonic water for a novel, refreshing coffee experience on the go – a cold brew concentrate replaces espresso, and the beverage is canned. 

As the popularity of non-alcoholic beverages in varied flavours grows, canned espresso tonic will appeal well to younger consumers looking for convenient drinks throughout the day.

How does canned espresso tonic fit in with modern consumer preferences?

Oliver Winters, global communications director at Fever-Tree, says the multinational drinks company has observed a significant change in the consumption of tonic waters. Consumers are tending to experiment beyond the traditional pairing of tonic and gin, trying other spirits and even tonic water on its own. 

Meanwhile, Bryan Serwatka of Australian coffee company Minor Figures has observed an increasing number of espresso tonic offers on café and restaurant menus, crediting the gentle bitterness of the beverage as creating a luxurious drinking experience. 

Both observations match well with ‘sober-curious’ market data that suggests a sizeable cultural shift among Gen Z and Millenials drinking significantly less alcohol than their older counterparts. 

Instead, they are actively seeking beverages, brands, and companies that promise a similar experience to an alcoholic drink – taste, refinement, novelty, prestige, and presentation – without the buzz. 

However, convenience remains the most significant purchasing driver for young people – a statistic that holds for all consumer age groups. 

Cue, canned espresso tonic – an alternative, non-alcoholic, novel, and refined RTD option for coffee brands looking to capture more consumer attention.

“I think it would ideally have to go through some kind of clarification process to look more appetising. However, I’m sure that canned espresso tonic has a place in the RTD market,” says Anne.

How to offer your own canned espresso tonic

The manufacturing of RTD beverages requires specialised production facilities and equipment to ensure quality, safety and regulatory compliance. 

For most businesses – especially smaller operators or those with limited resources – manufacturing their own line of RTDs is unfeasible. Finding a good private label partner will help. 

At Hardtank, we offer a range of private label RTD coffee beverages, including cold brew tonics, nitro lattes, and craft iced tea, for our clients to pick from and build out their convenient offerings. 

Tonic Cold Brew is our answer to canned espresso tonic – an RTD that pairs aromatic Brazilian cold brew coffee with the citrusy notes of tonic water for a smooth, refreshing, and convenient beverage. 

Larger private label manufacturers may be limited in the scope of the beverages they offer – sticking to the more ‘mainstream’ RTD coffee beverages like iced coffee or lattes – and require large minimum order quantities (MOQs), sometimes up to 100,000 units per SKU. 

At Hardtank, we offer manufacturing from just 3,000 units per SKU, lower overall costs, and quicker lead times. This helps us get our clients to market faster and allows them the freedom and flexibility to innovate, experiment, and keep their customers engaged with a broader variety of products. 

Safety is of the utmost importance – our BRC-certified facility is compliant with the most stringent food safety regulations. We send a sample of each batch produced to an independent laboratory for testing and retain another sample from each batch for the duration of its shelf life to ensure coverage down the line. 

Choose Hardtank for your canned espresso tonic needs

Hardtank has been built on more than twenty years of specialty coffee experience, prioritising the production of high-quality, safe and innovative private label cold brew products. 

Our vast array of beverage types and the ability to scale production as our clients grow means that they enjoy agility in the range and variety of their offerings, are able to keep up with consumer demand and continue to drive engagement through menu development. 

Beyond canned espresso tonic, our range includes:

• Nitro Cold Brew Classic
• Vegan Caramel Latte 
• Super Focus Nitro
• Craft Ice Tea
• Strawberry Hibiscus Cold Brew

To find out more about ordering your own line of canned espresso tonic, visit our website or get in touch with us directly. 

Did you miss our last webinar? Don’t worry; you can watch the recording here.

Canned espresso tonic