Private label cold brew coffee presents a solid opportunity for coffee roasters to launch new products, expand their distribution channels, and increase their revenues. 

By developing a line of ready-to-drink (RTD) cold brew coffee with the support of a private label partner, roasters can capitalise on e-commerce and online sales channels, increase their takeaway or on-site consumption profits, and develop more profitable distribution partnerships.

Private label coffee is well established, particularly in the US and UK, for manufacturing ground and whole bean coffee. Still, in recent years, product types have expanded to include espresso capsules, Dolce-Gusto-compatible pods, and RTD beverages. 

With the rise in options available, coffee roasters should look for a reliable partner with experience and expertise in manufacturing private label cold brew coffee to help them capture a share of the rapidly growing RTD cold brew market. 

We spoke to Ben Rowe, director at Harmony Coffee, to learn more about how roasters view private label cold brew coffee.  

Using cold brew coffee to connect with more consumers

British consumption of cold brew coffee has increased by 60% in the last three years, driven by almost a third of consumers preferring the smoother taste and better flavour compared to iced coffee. 

Cold brew coffee can be consumed on location, usually served in a glass over ice, as a takeaway beverage in a plastic or cardboard cup, or, increasingly commonly, in a ready-to-drink format like an aluminium can or carton. 

Canned coffee is nothing new, but the variety and types of offerings are changing rapidly. Rather than the RTD iced coffee popularised on convenience store shelves or the vast Asian cold coffee market, well-known multinational coffee brands and specialty coffee roasters alike are offering eye-catching, premium cold brew coffee for on-the-go consumption. 

Branded chain giants Starbucks and Dunkin’ offer pumpkin spice latte and French vanilla-flavoured cold brew concentrate so consumers can prepare indulgent beverages at home instead of visiting their stores.  

Specialty coffee brands Ritual Coffee and Grind offer their own lines of RTD cold brew coffee, too. They focus less on added flavourings and more on different product variation methods, including coffee origin, plant-based milk alternatives, and nitrogen infusion. 

Those coffee brands playing in the RTD space recognise the opportunity to increase brand recognition, win more customers and drive industry innovation forward. 

The RTD format, with its highly customisable branding real estate, is well suited for marketing and sponsorship-related opportunities. Private label cold brew coffee allows brands to experiment with limited-edition flavours or event-specific livery in an agile way, especially those with low minimum order quantities and fast turnaround times. 

“A few of the customers that I work with serve RTD cold brew, but it wasn’t something I’d considered doing until my roaster got bigger,” says Ben. 

“If you’re developing RTD cold brew coffee on your own, it might take a lot of resources away from the regular business process.”

Why a private label partner is a good choice

As Ben rightly points out, creating, manufacturing, and launching a line of cold-brew coffee is challenging for most businesses. Unless you have significant resources – money, space, labour, expertise – to produce an RTD portfolio, choosing a private label partner is a wiser approach. 

It is safer to work with a private label cold brew coffee partner who has experience in both coffee and manufacturing and has invested in the best equipment and technology. 

There are fewer start-up costs and lead times for the roaster or client, and the roaster can lean on their private label partner’s industry expertise for advice on pricing, labelling, and safety regulations.

RTD beverages have a reputation for high MOQs. Manufacturers tend to prioritise larger orders to protect their own bottom lines, a key blocker to smaller businesses like cafes or coffee roasters attempting to enter the RTD market for the first time or win a new supplier contract.

“At a previous company I worked for, we stocked cold brew cans, but the manufacturer that we worked with to facilitate this had a fairly significant minimum order requirement,” says Ben.

“Smaller batch production services that meet the output quality that I would expect just haven’t hit my radar yet.”

Coffee roasters value coffee quality above all else; they build their reputations upon it.

“Quality of output comes first, always. We’re a quality-first brand, and our customers expect quality, so it would make sense that any RTD cold brew contributions we supply to the market should match that same expectation,” emphasises Ben, before adding that capacity, cost, aftercare and marketing support are all desirable factors in potential private label cold brew partnership. 

Choose Hardtank for your private label cold brew coffee

Private label cold brew coffee partners with extensive experience in the coffee market are essential for coffee roasters looking to replicate their quality expectations in a private label product. 

At Hardtank, we have over 20 years of experience sourcing, roasting, and brewing specialty coffee, as well as private label coffee manufacturing expertise. 

While most private label coffee manufacturers demand high minimum order quantities with expensive costs per unit and limited packaging and branding options, we have built our facilities to encourage flexibility and speed without sacrificing quality.

By sourcing a line of RTD private label cold brew coffee from Hardtank, you can expect your completed products in less than six weeks, with MOQs from just 3,000 units per SKU and highly customisable, eye-catching packaging options. 

We focus on getting our clients to market faster, keeping open lines of communication and a collaborative environment throughout the partnership. Plus, our BRC-certified facilities fulfil the most stringent health and safety regulations and ensure we can scale as you grow. 

To learn more about creating your own line of private label cold brew coffee, visit our website or get in touch with us directly. 

Did you miss our recent cold brew masterclass? Don’t worry; you can watch a recording here!