Kenco is locking horns with Starbucks with the launch of its own range of premium instant coffee sachets.

The Kraft brand’s Millicano Wholebean Instant line will be similar in format to Starbucks Via single-serve packets, which hit Tesco shelves in July and marked the coffee shop chain’s first venture into mainstream retail aisles.

Packaging for the “fine-milled” Millicano range, scheduled to launch early next year, will feature a ­silver colour scheme to make it stand out against Starbucks’ line, although Kraft would not reveal any further details of the ­product.

“Millicano Wholebean Instant will be an exciting addition to the Kenco portfolio,” said a spokeswoman. “We are hoping to attract a wide range of instant coffee drinkers who are looking for a better quality coffee.”

Coffee sales have increased 3.1% to £672.5m over the past year [Nielsen].