SunUp (Discontinued)

When we first tried Sunup, the product, which is made with unroasted green coffee, was packaged in a glass bottle. With the messaging feeling disjointed and somewhat unclear, it felt like it needed a lot of work.

Now, in the Summer of 2017, the company has updated the packaging and added two new varieties, Sweetened with Cane Sugar and Sweetened with Stevia, to go with the original (now called Unsweetened). Utilizing a 15 oz. can with a bright green backdrop, it certainly has a more vibrant and eye-catching appearance.

Despite this overall visual improvement, however, we’re not sure that it sufficiently communicates what the product is to the point where the product will be appealing to consumers. The text on bottom of the can states “Tastes like a tea. Energizes like a coffee.” but it doesn’t really describe the experience of all that accurately. Plus, 15 ounces feels like too much of an ask for new consumers to dive into.

As for the product offerings, creating varieties based on the use and type of sweetener is an approach that seems to make the consumer’s decision more challenging rather than improving options. Sweetener types have become a thorny issue -- and we wonder if Sunup shouldn’t, at least for now, get behind the one that it thinks will bring the most short term success. If they did this, a flavored offering, which might also help the company’s chances of success, would be a logical add-on.

After tasting the liquid, we feel even more strongly about the need for flavors. The unsweetened variety tastes like black tea that hasn’t been fully steeped, which, at least to our palates, feels incomplete. It could certainly serve as the base for something, but the addition of a sweetener, either sugar (16g of sugar and 25 calories per can) or stevia (0 sugar and calories), doesn’t totally make up for it. However, the sugar sweetened variety is presently their best tasting flavor.

In the end, moving to a can and adding new flavors is a step forward for Sunup. However, there’s still a bigger step forward that’s needed: nailing the flavor lineup and, more importantly, figuring out a way to engage the consumer and get them to understand what green coffee is and why they should drink it. We expect the latter to take some time, but the former should definitely be something that they continue to explore in the short term.

Sunup Green Coffee presents a new approach to the RTD coffee category by using unroasted coffee beans.

Eliminating the roasting process, which is basically what gives coffee its signature flavor, results in something very different: Instead of a dark, bold, and sometimes acidic flavor, Sunup’s Green Coffee is light and slightly fruity. The addition of sugar (17g per bottle) adds some sweetness, while the finish is clean and smooth. In many ways, the product is closer to that of tea than coffee, aside from a slight note at the finish that kind of makes the product taste like a bottle of tea with a little coffee splashed in.  It’s an enjoyable flavor, but we’re not sure that we’d choose it (based on flavor alone) over coffee, tea, or another caffeinated offering such as guayusa or yerba mate.

Packaging is a 9.5 oz. stock glass bottle that has a label around its neck and belly. We’re sorry to say that we think the two label approach doesn’t work, both in terms of aesthetics and for communicating the message. The branding feels sterile and somewhat meaningless when it comes to grabbing the eye, and also fails to communicate the “why” or the benefits for the product and its obviously unique manufacture. Right now, the benefits are buried on the back above the UPC code. We’d also  love to see a callout for the actual milligrams of caffeine that are contained within.

Ultimately, we’re left with mixed feelings about this product. On the one hand, it’s something different that potentially has some room to run - but we don’t know where it’s planning on running. It feels really raw in its current form. Plus, there’s the likelihood that a massive amount of education is required to get consumers to think about coffee in a totally new way. All of that being said, we think that this is a nifty product to try, but one that has a really long road ahead of it. Developing the brand and its message -- and perhaps filling out a line of a few SKUs -- might be the next steps.