CHICAGO — Molson Coors Beverage Co. is expanding distribution of La Colombe Coffee Roasters’ ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee products in convenience and drug stores nationwide.
The 10-year deal between the companies includes Molson Coors moving La Colombe’s Draft Latte and Brazilian Cold Brew products starting in January. This will allow La Colombe to increase its retail footprint by more than 400% within 18 months in c-stores, which rank as the top channel for ready-to-drink coffee, per Nielsen data, Molson Coors said.
“This provides us with a great opportunity to partner with a leading company in the ready-to-drink coffee space,” said Pete Marino, president of Molson Coors’ emerging growth division. “La Colombe is a great brand. They are deeply committed to quality; they intercept thousands of coffee drinkers daily in their cafes and they have an unreal commitment to furthering that loyalty with their delicious RTDs.”
This is one of several efforts by Molson Coors to expand beyond beer. It recently announced it would be launching a line of non-alcohol drinks in partnership with L.A. Libations, El Segundo, Calif. Molson Coors’ and Hexo Corp.’s joint venture, Truss Beverage Co., released a line of cannabis-infused beverages across Canada.
La Colombe, Philadelphia, was founded in 1994 and is known for its ethically sourced ingredients and high-quality roasting technique, Molson Coors said. Its RTD coffees are available in thousands of grocery and big-box stores nationally and La Colombe’s 30 cafes in six states.
“The RTD coffee opportunity in drug and c-stores is a huge opportunity, and with La Colombe, we believe we have partnered with the best company in the RTD coffee space when you look across their brand strength, their quality and their innovation pipeline,” Marino said.
Molson Coors and La Colombe paired up in 2019 to release La Colombe Hard Cold Brew coffee, a RTD cold brew with 4.2% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.