Our client is a multinational food & beverage company with multiple brands operating in the coffee category.  As the ‘hottest’ growing segment in the coffee category, cold coffee beverages had seen double-digit growth in the US, but Canadians have had a more lukewarm disposition towards cold coffee.    In the past, Canadians had only embraced cold coffee beverages during warmer seasons or as the occasional convenient ready-to-drink beverage. However, consumption of cold coffee beverages saw some growth in Canada over the last few years, posing an opportunity for coffee brands to re-consider cold beverages.     

Our client wanted a clearer understanding of the opportunities (if any) to grow the cold coffee market in Canada, how coffee drinkers were currently fitting cold coffee into their daily routines and any barriers that they could address that are standing in the way of Canadians super-sizing their cold coffee consumption. 

Research learnings were used to advise the client’s different coffee portfolios.

To meet the client’s objectives, an attitudes & usage study conducted among 1,700+ Canadian coffee drinkers, including a small portion who were hot coffee drinkers but rejected cold coffee.  This allowed for an understanding of general consumption habits and motivators for drinking cold coffee alongside barriers to consuming the category. 

We also leveraged syndicated coffee data that Dig runs for the Canadian Association of Coffee (CAC). This data allowed us to understand trends in the cold coffee category and identify areas for additional research. By marrying the different data sets, we were able to distill insights that complemented behavioural data (CAC) + attitudinal barriers data. We also layered in the client’s consumer segmentation to better address targeting needs.  

We showcased the results in a visual presentation to several portfolio managers across the business. The inclusion of infographics helped embed our new consumer understanding across a diverse stakeholder set and allowed for easy sharing across the org.  

• Helped debunk a lot of myths around Canadians only drinking during seasonal hot weather.  

• Identified areas of confusion regarding cold coffee types and opportunities to educate consumers and in turn stand out from the competition. 

• Highlighted negative perceptions about cold coffee ingredients that may be a barrier to consumption 

• Primary and secondary target areas have been identified within the category, allowing the team to build a customer-centric strategy that illuminated opportunities to clarify the competitive set and identify areas to grow each brand in the portfolio.