With Ready-To-Drink beverages gaining in popularity, Tetra Pak are offering a suitable packaging solution for roasters ready to partner.
The coffee industry has been shaken up by the rise of Ready- To-Drink (RTD) beverages, and according to Tetra Pak Oceania Marketing Director Jaymie Pagdato, Australia has become one of the newest countries to jump on the trend.
Jaymie says coffee roasters who have not yet invested in RTD options could be missing out on a substantial market share.
“You should want to be driving innovation,” she says. “Someone else is going to do it, so it may as well be you.”
Tetra Pak analyses trends globally and has identified RTD coffees as a more popular and accessible drink among younger generations.
“We have read plenty about Generation Z who are always on the go and can sometimes prefer cold coffee over hot,” says Jaymie. “With RTD coffee, it’s about functionality, flavour, and innovation all coming together in the one solution.”
Jaymie says roasters looking to take advantage would benefit greatly from the RTD packing solutions that Tetra Pak has to offer.
“We can help you through your innovation journey,” she says. “We have product development centres where we can help create the right formulation alongside the brand owner.”
Jaymie adds that RTD coffees are a great way to enhance the true flavour of a blend, which the Tetra Pak team are determined to showcase to a larger Australian market.
“Depending on the taste profile you are after, we have the right solution in our processing equipment to achieve that flavour,” she says.
Tetra Pak’s Product Development Centre specialises in smaller batch runs, which gives the team enough time to test and tinker with recipes to ensure the final product matches the vision of the roaster.
“What we don’t want is to have a whole factory run before deciding the flavour is not quite right. So, we run smaller batches that give enough of a sample size to test and evaluate the product,” says Jaymie.
The look of the final carton package for the RTD beverage is also customised to the needs of the roaster.
“Design is completely owned by the customer,” Jaymie says. “We’re all about supporting the personality of the brand, and our cartons allow brand owners to utilise 360 degrees of the package to tell their brand story so they can stand out on the shelf.”
Tetra Pak works with partners from around the world, including in the fast-growing RTD coffee markets in the United States and Japan. Jaymie says coffee roasters of any size are welcome to reach out to start the collaboration process, even if the world of RTD coffee seems foreign at first.
“We are excited to work with both existing and emerging brand owners. We see opportunities wherever they may come from,” she says.
Each RTD package option has the same sustainability goals in mind, with every step of the production process taken into consideration, right down to its recyclability after use.
Used beverage cartons that are collected may be redirected to the saveBOARD recycling facility in New South Wales. The site has been in operation since December 2022, and is a product of collaboration between Tetra Pak, saveBOARD and other industry partners.
“All materials of the carton, including the cap, are recycled into low-carbon building materials,” says Jaymie. “saveBOARD is a proven technology.”
Jaymie says that plans are in place for additional recycling facilities to open in Australia from 2024 onwards.
“We want to make recycling easy for consumers,” she says. ”
For more information, visit www.tetrapak.com/en-anz
This article appears in the February 2024 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.
