Global cold brew coffee pioneer Finlays has set a target date to open its new multi-million-pound facility specialising in producing cold brew coffee. 

Opening in autumn 2022 in Hull, UK, the coffee extraction plant will produce pure cold brew coffee for branded and own-label suppliers to the UK and European grocery and hospitality sectors. 

Finlays is a leading global independent B2B supplier of tea, coffee and botanicals, and the world's largest cold brew coffee provider by volume.

Cold brew is a fast-growing sector and is expected to reach a category value of €90mn in Europe by 2025 after a period of high growth, +51% between 2017-21*. Cold brew is also a major driver of innovation, accounting for more than 10% of RTD/iced coffee launches in the last five years**.

The new cold brew coffee site is being built next to Finlays' tea decaffeination facility in Hull and close to its tea and coffee facility in Pontefract, West Yorkshire. The new facility will focus on supplying big beverage brand owners with a full cold brew coffee solution, including ready-to-drink and bag-in-box formats. 

Andrew Martin, Group Head of Business Development at Finlays says: “While cold brew is already extremely popular in the US and Japan, the market is emerging in the UK and Europe. Looking at the forecast growth for this sector, there is a huge opportunity for brands to lead in this space in both retail and Out of Home. Our new facility will help these brands tap into the exciting cold brew market.”

Cold brew is a key trend among young consumers with 80% of Millennials finding cold brew appealing, and 40% of Gen Z consumers preferring their coffee in chilled ready-to-drink formats***.

Cold brew is also a significant value driver as figures show it achieves a significant premium compared to hot brew products – 89% of cold brew drinkers are willing to pay a premium for this type of beverage****.

Martin continues: “Cold brew is seen as a more premium alternative to traditional iced coffee. Cold brew is made by slowly steeping coffee in ambient temperature water to extract the best flavours from the bean, creating a full-bodied, rich flavour that is less acidic and bitter than hot brew. Its complex flavour profile and natural smoothness also means it offers a rich sensory experience without the need for additional ingredients.

“Cold brew is also a natural source of caffeine making it a great alternative to normally sugary energy drinks, most of which contain synthetic caffeine.”

Finlays new facility will produce pure cold brew coffee solutions, starting with high-quality, sustainably sourced coffee beans that are freshly roasted at its roastery in nearby Pontefract, West Yorkshire. Finlays will be able to create tailored blends which are steeped in ambient temperature filtered water in a reduced oxygen environment. The cold brew is triple filtered and gently extracted using a bespoke, gravity fed extraction technology that involves no heat or pressure. 

This gentle extraction process will preserve the character and full-bodied flavour of the coffee and achieve consistency. Though some manufacturers may use heat to improve yields, or even add soluble coffee to achieve higher concentrations, Finlays will only offer “pure” cold brew to achieve less acidity, smoothness and rich flavour. 

Packaging formats will be flexible to suit a variety of customer needs while also maintaining Finlays' commitment to sustainable sourcing. 

For more information visit https://www.finlays.net/product-solution/cold-brew-coffee-europe/

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For further information please contact Verity Clarke at verity@weareaubergine.com or Emma Gardner at emma@weareaubergine.com 

About Finlays 

Finlays, part of Swire Group, is the leading independent B2B supplier of tea, coffee and botanical solutions to beverage brand owners worldwide. Founded in 1750, Finlays has been sourcing tea since 1817 and producing it since the 1870s. Today, with deep roots across the globe and unparalleled experience and expertise, no-one is better placed to unleash the potential of natural beverages by helping brand owners to bring the best from bush to cup. 

Finlays Europe 

Finlays Europe, which includes Finlay Beverages, is one of the region's largest processors and packers of tea and coffee. With 117 years' experience in tea and 111 in coffee we are experts in our field. As well as packed tea and coffee, we supply a wide range of tea, coffee and botanical extracts to aid the development of iced, RTD and cold brew teas and coffees across Europe.

About Finlays Cold Brew 

Founded in 1750 and headquartered in London, Finlays is an established global leader in cold brew extraction. Its global presence includes two major coffee extraction facilities in North America where it is the market leader and supplies many of the biggest brands, a strong presence in Asia, and a new facility in the UK serving Europe that is opening in 2022.

For more information visit www.Finlays.net

References:

* GlobalData Plc 2021, Maia Research 2021, Nielsen 

**  Mintel GNPD, 2017-2021 YTD)   

*** GlobalData Plc 2019, Technomic Generation Report, 2018

**** Global Consumer Survey, 2020 survey of 26,891 consumers in 30+ countries globally