WAWA, Pa. -- Wawa Inc. has announced that the company has launched Wawa Original Blend and 100% Colombian in a single-serve container compatible with the popular Keurig brewing system. These coffee products are now available in all of Wawa's 604 stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Florida.
The retailer will add new varieties in early 2013.
"We are pleased to launch these convenient new single-serve coffee containers so our customers can enjoy Wawa's signature flavors in the comfort of their homes," said Mendy Meriwether, category manager for Wawa. "A tremendous amount of development has gone into ensuring the cup that customers brew at home is as perfect as the cup our customers buy at any Wawa location. We have seen an incredible amount of excitement from our customers so far and we look forward to expanding our varieties to generate even more ways to simplify our customers' lives."
Wawa coffee is a proprietary, private-label blend, available only at Wawa stores. Since the year 2000, Wawa has served more than one billion cups of coffee. Within the brewed coffee market, Wawa ranks No. 1 in Philadelphia and No. 8 in share nationally, it said.
"At Wawa, coffee is more than a hot beverage," said CEO Howard Stoeckel. "It's a way of life. Now we're making it even easier for customers to bring Wawa home."
In 1975, freshly brewed coffee became available in Wawa stores because store managers wanted to save time for busy customers. When coffee was first introduced, the chain used "pour-over" pots. Stores soon had pots of water lined up in the morning rush to accommodate customers. In 1978, the coffee program "perked up" with the introduction of the five-burner "Bun-o-Matic." This new system accessed filtered water directly and managers were able to make coffee with the flick of a switch.
In the 1990s, Wawa remodeled and expanded the coffee area to separate the brewing from the customer area. The addition of the 20-ounce cup and later the Big 24 fueled Wawa's coffee program.
In 2010, Wawa embarked on a chain-wide coffee makeover, completing transforming the coffee areas in all stores with new graphics, new designs and energy-efficient thermals to replace glass pots. In 2012, Wawa began offering full-service specialty beverage area where, via touchscreens, customers can order 20 handmade varieties of lattes, hot chocolates and more.
Wawa customers drink more than 195 million cups of Wawa's coffee each year. It is brewed fresh using Wawa's own special blend of the finest roasted coffee beans and filtered water. Wawa varieties include Regular, Decaf, Varietals (Kona, 100% Colombian), its proprietary regular and decaf, French Vanilla, Hazelnut and dark roast. And now it offers an extensive line of full-serve, built-to-order specialty beverages including lattes, cappuccinos, hot chocolates and more are available at the foodservice area of all Wawa stores and ordered through Wawa's touchscreen ordering system.
Wawa, based in Wawa, Pa., is a chain of more than 600 convenience retail stores (300 offering gasoline) located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia and Florida.
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