DALLAS --7-Eleven Inc. has introduced fresh-brewed iced tea, available in either sweetened or unsweetened flavors, at more than 3,000 participating convenience stores. It also is introducing fresh-brewed iced coffee under its Chillers brand simultaneously with the iced tea launch.
The tea and coffee is available in Florida, Virginia, greater Southern California, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin, Texas, Denver, Colorado Springs, Colo., southern Nevada, Salt Lake City, Charlotte, N.C., and select stores on Long Island, N.Y.
To celebrate National Iced Tea Day on Tuesday, June 10, and its newest brewed beverage, 7-Eleven offered a free Big Gulp iced tea drink e-coupon on its smartphone app for that day only.
The iced coffee is sold in 7-Eleven Chillers cups rather than Big Gulp cups.
"More than half of the people who visit a 7-Eleven store buy something to drink," said Nancy Smith, 7-Eleven senior vice president of fresh food and proprietary beverage merchandising. "Fresh-brewed iced tea provides a refreshing, noncarbonated cold beverage option for our guests as we head into the hot summer months; however, even after the temperatures cool, we expect it will become a year-round favorite."
Both varieties are made with a proprietary blend of black tea leaves, created exclusively for 7-Eleven stores. Brewed fresh throughout the day, sweetened and unsweetened Big Gulp Iced Teas are dispensed from lined, stainless-steel urns located in the cold-beverage section of the store.
"Iced tea is the second-most consumed beverage in U.S. restaurants," Smith said. "7-Eleven already carried ready-to-drink bottled teas, but as we continue to expand both our fresh and hot food menus, we wanted to add a fresh-brewed, over-ice option to our guests’ beverage choices."
Based in Dallas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 10,300 7-Eleven convenience stores in North America. Globally, there are approximately 53,100 7-Eleven stores in 16 countries. During 2013, 7-Eleven stores generated total worldwide sales close to $84.5 billion.
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