Seattle's Best Coffee Gains Steam Down the Coffee Aisle with the Availability of K-Cup® Packs, New House Blend and Breakfast Blend, and Expanded Instant Latte Distribution

Seattle’s Best Coffee, a featured brand within Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX), is launching three new coffee products, giving coffee drinkers even more ways to sip a great cup of Seattle’s Best Coffee® at home. Building on recent success down the aisle¹ with roast & ground (R&G) packaged coffee, Seattle’s Best Coffee is entering two new coffee categories: the $1.8 billion U.S. single-serve coffee category² and the $740 million instant coffee category.³ Appearing on shelves at grocery and mass retailers this month, Seattle’s Best Coffee is now available in single-serve K-Cup® packs, two new roast and ground medium roast blends, House Blend and Breakfast Blend, and café-inspired at-home Instant Lattes.

Seattle's Best Coffee is stocking shelves nationwide in groceries and mass retailers with a new medium roast blend: House Blend. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Seattle’s Best Coffee signature smooth taste profile has been developed with customers in mind and by more than four decades of coffee credibility. As coffee drinkers look for convenient at-home coffee options, Seattle’s Best Coffee is creating even more possibilities to make a great cup of coffee at home. In fact, the availability of K-Cup® packs, in addition to frozen coffee blends and instant coffee, marks the third time the brand has entered a new at-home coffee category in the past six months.

“For more than 40 years we’ve roasted and brewed our coffee with high-quality Latin American beans, never losing sight of what matters most — the people we make coffee for,” said Jennifer Dimaris, vice president, brand management, of Seattle’s Best Coffee. “Seattle’s Best Coffee is an easy answer for customers shopping in an overwhelming coffee aisle. We have found the sweet spot in delivering smooth taste at a great value.”

Single-Serve Coffee Heats Up with Keurig® K-Cup® Packs

The single-serve coffee category has witnessed significant growth over the past year, reaching $1.8 billion. Arriving on grocery and mass retailer shelves in March, the Seattle’s Best Coffee K-Cup® Portion Packs for the Keurig® Single Cup Brewing system come in five varieties of medium roast blends: Signature Blend 3, House Blend, Breakfast Blend, Very Vanilla and Toasted Hazelnut. The suggested retail price is $7.99 for a pack of 10 at grocery stores or $10.99 for a pack of 16 at Target stores nationwide.

Instant Coffee Category Surges to $740 Million

In September, the brand introduced café-inspired Instant Lattes to enjoy at home, available in Walmart stores nationwide and soon to be available in additional grocery retailers. The convenient at-home Instant Lattes come in three indulgent flavors: Creamy Caramel, Rich Café Mocha and Very Vanilla. By simply adding water, swirling and sipping, customers can enjoy a rich at-home latte, for a fraction of the coffeehouse price. The suggested retail price is $5.99 for 12 servings, which makes an at-home latte for only $0.50 each.

New Blends Perk Up Packaged Coffee Aisle

Continuing its commitment to providing the taste our customers love, Seattle’s Best Coffee is enhancing its lineup to include a new medium roast blend, House Blend, and the addition of Breakfast Blend, set to hit shelves this month next to fan favorites Signature Blends 3, 4 and 5. These three signature favorites are now on the top ten list of the premium packaged coffee category. Seattle’s Best Coffees® are made from high-quality Latin American arabica beans for a unique range of approachable flavors and are specially crafted for coffee drinkers who love medium roast coffees with a smooth, balanced taste. Additionally, Seattle’s Best Coffee packaged coffee is getting a new look to make it even easier for coffee drinkers to find the perfect coffee to fit their taste profile. The expression of the new packaging is a balance between the established Seattle’s Best Coffee heritage and its spirited nature.

Seattle’s Best Coffee® packaged R&G, frozen, instant, and single-serve coffees are available in more than 20,000 locations, including most U.S. food, drug and mass retailers (Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, Costco, Safeway, Kroger and more). Visit the grocery locator on Seattle’s Best.com to find your favorite blend and format.

About Seattle’s Best Coffee

Seattle’s Best Coffee LLC has been roasting premium coffee since 1970 and today roasts more than 20 million pounds of coffee every year and millions of cups of our coffee are served every day. A freshly-brewed cup of Seattle’s Best Coffee is currently available in more than 50,000 locations, including cafes, college campuses, restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, grocery stores and movie theatres. Seattle’s Best Coffee is a featured brand within Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX). For more information, please visit Seattle’s Best Coffee online at www.seattlesbest.com, become a member of the coffee community at www.facebook.com/SeattlesBestCoffee or follow Seattle’s Best Coffee on Pinterest for unique coffee inspiration at www.pinterest.com/seattlesbest.

K-Cup® Portion Packs for use in Keurig® Brewing Systems. Keurig, the Cup and Star design, Keurig Brewed and K-Cup are registered trademarks of Keurig, Incorporated, used with permission.

¹ According to 2013 IRI Group Data (based on the Top 10 selling units per store in the ground black 11-12 oz. premium packaged coffee category)

² According to 2013 IRI Group Data

³ According to 2013 IRI Group Data

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140115005272/en/