Independent B2B coffee and tea supplier Finlays has unveiled plans to fire up the UK cold brew coffee market with a multi-million-pound facility in the north of England.
The coffee extraction plant is set to begin producing cold brew coffee for branded and own-label suppliers to the UK and European grocery and hospitality sectors in 2022.
The site is located next to Finlays Europe’s tea decaffeination facility in Hull and will allow Finlays to supply bulk concentrate, RTD cans and bag in box through ambient and refrigerated supply chain networks.
The UK market for cold brew coffee is booming, with annual sales hitting £56m in 2020. The growth of the UK and Europe market is expected to mirror the cold brew boom that has transformed the US coffee market, where annual cold brew sales are now worth £917m and counting. Finlays is the US cold brew market leader.
“Cold brew coffee is one of the most exciting trends in food and drink,” said Ian Bryson, Managing Director at Finlays Europe.
“After explosive growth in the US, we believe we are about to see the same thing happen in Europe. Our new extraction facility is about helping beverage brand owners across Foodservice, B2B and retail tap into the cold brew opportunity by allowing us to manufacture in a flexible range of formats and being able to develop bespoke solutions.”
