Source: Jimmy’s Iced Coffee

It comes as the RTD coffee market has exploded over the past year

Jimmy’s Iced Coffee is launching its core duo into new hybrid ‘bottlecans’.

Touted as “the next step in the brand’s pledge to do better for the environment”, the new 100% recyclable packs of its Original and Mocha iced coffees (rsp: £1.85) will roll into Tesco on 24 May.

The drinks were previously packed in Tetra Pak cartons, which have a ‘bio-cap’ made from plastic. The new aluminium packs will save nine million plastic lids a year – the equivalent of “40 tonnes less plastic on the planet”, Jimmy’s said.

The bottles would also be “more convenient” to recycle, the brand added, as it set out its “determination to move away from single-use plastic” in all its forms.

Jimmy’s said the new format introduced “a rare, new shape to the market” and provided “a resealable format with the perfect wide-necked top that allows consumers to crack open a bottle that’s colder and more enjoyable”.

The move into bottlecans will be backed by a marketing push spanning TV, social media, and physical and digital sampling.

It comes as the RTD coffee market has exploded over the past year – despite the massive struggles faced by the wider on-the-go and impulse market.

Sales of RTD coffee surged by more than £20m, rising 39.2% to £75.8m on volumes up 37% [Kantar, 52 w/e 27 December 2020].

This translated into massive gains for the biggest brands in the sector. Costa’s RTD range doubled its value over the year, according to Simon Harrison, CCEP’s outgoing VP for commercial development.

The Arla-produced Starbucks brand has similarly made strong gains in the past year. It recently added a new 330ml format for its two bestsellers – Caffé Latte and Caramel Macchiato (rsp: £2.20). The brand said the move aimed to “meet increased consumer demand for larger formats”.