Nguyen, SANG Score Wins for Vietnamese Coffee
Everyone may be talking about the new Ice Spice Munchkin drink, but on retail shelves, it’s a couple of Vietnamese RTDs that are hitting the sweet spot this week. We caught up with Sahra Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Supply to hear about her brand’s latest retail win.
Though busy as ever, Nguyen found a few minutes to chat on Thursday about her eponymous brand’s expansion with Whole Foods, which doubles the brand’s total store count (currently around 500) and marks the first time the natural grocery chain has taken an RTD Vietnamese coffee nationwide. The 3-SKU line of 100% Robusta cold brews have been a hit with audiences since launching off-cycle at Whole Foods (23 states and two districts in Canada) back in April, with Nguyen crediting the RTDs fast start to the four prior years spent building the packaged coffee brand online. Its bagged beans have been in the natural grocery chain since last year, but as Nguyen noted, “we never got a national rollout.”
That’s no longer the case: Nguyen’s 7.5 oz cold brews are driving market penetration and reaching a larger audience, but its approach has been methodical. The RTDs live in the Whole Foods cold case, though being shelf-stable means it’s been able to secure off-shelf displays and case stacks in certain situations. Promotional activity has been limited to just one per quarter, but as of Q3 the company has been ramping up both demos and paid media spend in key regions (NorCal, SoPac, Northeast) as well as digital and physical coupons. Per customer feedback, the product is winning thanks to the combination of Robusta flavor and high caffeine content (180-220mg per 7.5 oz can); Condensed Milk Cold Brew is the top seller across retail and D2C.
But the brand is also still working outside of Whole Foods: Mollie Stones, Nugget Markets, Gus’, Lunardi’s, Berkeley Bowl and Bristol Farms are all in the mix. The primary goal is “to be where our customers are,” Nguyen said; long term, that likely means gradually shifting resources from D2C towards supporting retail.
Elsewhere, another female coffee entrepreneur is celebrating her own achievement: per a LinkedIn post from founder Lan Pham, all five SKUs of SANG Vietnamese Coffee are now available at 1,400 Target stores nationwide, bringing its overall door count to more than 2,200. Since launching in 2021, the 8 oz canned line (also made from 100% Vietnamese robusta beans) has gained traction online and in independents, along with pickups from Stop-and-Shop in the Northeast and indies (Citarella, Westerly Market, Fairway) on its home turf in New York City.
Positive Beverage Goes Clubbin’ At Costco
Newport Beach, California-based energy drink brand Positive Beverage is now entering select Costco locations in the Southwest. The club store will offer Positive’s Immunity Supporting Energy variety pack featuring four cans each of the Watermelon Mania, Poppin’ Orange and Tropical Bliss flavors. The 12-can packs will retail for $15.99.
Earlier this year, the brand expanded its retail footprint in Southern California by entering Pavilions and Vons stores. The zero-sugar energy line has 160mg of caffeine from green tea extract packed with immunity-supporting Vitamins C and B12 along with Zinc, Potassium and Calcium.
Yesly Expanding In Texas, Midwest
Functional water brand Yesly has signed on with Texas beer distributor Jack Hilliard Distributing after a “blitz” of the state talking to various sales representatives there, said Yesly CFO Justin Connell said.
Yesly has also made gains in the Midwest with Ohio-based Heidelberg Distributing. The brand has established a foothold in the middle of the country via distribution partnerships stretching across Kentucky, Tennessee and Western Pennsylvania up through Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Yesly launched with Big Geyser in the New York area in March and has since expanded north into Connecticut and Massachusetts as well, Connell said.
For now, the brand has targeted independent retailers but has also received authorization to be in about 400 7-Eleven and Speedway locations and is currently in about 300 chain stores.
Four Sigmatic Hits Albertsons Store Shelves
Mushroom coffee brand Four Sigmatic’s Think Ground Organic Coffee and Balance Half Caf Ground Organic Coffee will now be available in 850 Albertsons stores nationwide. The SKU features lion’s mane mushrooms for focus and is available in 12oz. bags for about $19.99 on Albertsons website.
Initially launching as a DTC and ecommerce brand, Four Sigmatic has expanded out of its digital roots to bring its functional coffees over the years to mainstream retailers like Target and Walmart. The brand also launched two new varieties on its website: Focus Coffee and Focus Coffee Latte.