From Brentwood, Tenn., to Altoona, Pa., convenience-store consumers are being treated to superior coffee this season. Both Mapco and Sheetz recently rolled out newly enhanced coffee platforms emphasizing variety, sustainability and digital engagement.
At the end of August, Altoona-based Sheetz unveiled its new Sheetz Bros. Coffee to its stores with the tagline “quality just got a kick in the beanz.” Each store was outfitted with new grinding and brewing equipment manned by trained baristas. Customers can choose from four signature blends, 17 creamer and flavor options and a full lineup of espresso drinks—yielding more than 1,000 possible combinations for getting a coffee fi x.
The chain announced the new program with a website, kickinthebeans.com, and spent the month of September awarding one customer per day a $50 gift card. Customers who posted a picture on Instagram or Twitter with their Sheetz coffee using #kickinthebeanz were entered to win.
Brentwood-based Mapco, meanwhile, used its coffee program to unify all seven of its c-store banners under one hot-beverage brand, Mapco Feel Good Coffee.
It expected to wrap up the rollout to all of the chain’s 373 stores by the end of September. Branding features a retro logo and font over faux wood paneling for a homey vibe. The coffees are named to reflect their character and/or country of origin—including Guatemalan Highlands and Colombia Primo.
Initial marketing pushes included opportunities for free cups via the My Mapco Rewards app. Future efforts will underscore sustainability and country-of-origin aspects, says director of marketing Howard Curtis.
“We’re sharing the story of the coffee on social media and on the app,” he says. “A lot of our app users are big coffee drinkers, but there’s a lot of room for them to drink more coffee with us.”
Sheetz is focusing on sustainability with a new cup that is fully recyclable, BPA-free and made of No. 5 polypropylene—“one of the safest materials used to package foods,” said Ryan Sheetz, director of brand strategy, in a company release. “This implementation will divert approximately 2.3 million cups from landfills every year.” —Additional reporting by Steve Holtz
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