- RTD coffee brands are ditching origin stories for seasonal drops, wellness claims, and curated aesthetics
- There were over 200 new RTD products launched in Europe in 2023 alone, and 83% of consumers now expect new flavours in grab-and-go formats
- Canned coffee is being reimagined as lifestyle merch – not just a beverage
IN January 2025, La Colombe Coffee Roasters – a brand once synonymous with craft, purity, and café authenticity – launched a limited-edition Strawberry Mocha Draft Latte.
Promoted through a “Love Over Lattes” campaign by creative agency Confidant – the new agency leading brand and lifestyle media relations for Chobani and La Colombe – the release looked less like a seasonal coffee drop and more like a lifestyle launch.
With soft pastel branding, emotionally charged messaging, and a story built around self-love, it marked a clear pivot from bean origin and roast profile to something closer to beauty or wellness marketing.
The flavour, like the strategy, is telling. Coffee in a can is no longer just about caffeine; it’s a canvas for self-expression.
This move is part of a broader effort by La Colombe’s fairly new owner, Chobani, which acquired the specialty coffee company for $900 million in late 2023, to scale La Colombe across 95,000+ U.S. retail locations. In its press release at the time, Chobani promised that La Colombe would “meaningfully expand the reach of its single-serve product line and have access to grow underdeveloped channels like convenience retail.”
And flavour-forward, emotionally driven launches like this are one way to do it.
“Flavour-led and emotionally driven RTD launches are redefining the boundaries of specialty coffee,” says Roberto Gonzalez, CEO and Business Developer at Brandsparkle.
“Traditionally, specialty coffee was rooted in origin, roast profile, and purity of taste. Now, we’re seeing brands like La Colombe and many more expand the category by incorporating flavours and narratives that tap into emotional resonance, nostalgia, or indulgence.
This shift allows specialty coffee to engage broader audiences without compromising quality. It’s not about diluting the craft, it’s about evolving how that craft is expressed. For modern consumers, particularly younger demographics, taste is important, but so is how a product makes them feel – whether that’s comfort, excitement, or even a sense of identity.”
La Colombe is not an outlier. It is part of a growing cohort of RTD brands shifting away from “coffee as coffee,” and toward coffee as culture, functionality, and personal brand alignment.
In 2022, Sucafina’s Ready-To-Drink Coffee Report estimated that the U.S. market featured over 200 RTD coffee products. By 2023, Europe saw the same number of new product launches in just one year. Numbers are only growing, and these products now less like beverages and more like beauty supplements, mood enhancers, or seasonal merchandise. The category is not just crowded; it’s being reinvented from the inside out.
New data shows that 83% of consumers expect new flavours in grab-and-go formats. In an interview for The Grocer, Tracey Mattock, interim marketing manager at B2B tea and coffee supplier Finlays, remarked that “the concept of affordable indulgence is rising, offering consumers inexpensive luxury treats amid the cost of living challenges.”
The RTD sector is undergoing what might be called a “soft pivot.” Once focused on technical superiority – single-origin beans, exacting brews, minimal ingredients – the space is now full of brands selling flavoured identity.
Some, like Taika, market “scientifically calibrated” blends designed to boost productivity without the jitters. Others tap into wellness and cosmetic benefits – like Pop & Bottle, which positions its almond milk lattes as part of a wellness regimen, promoting collagen, plant-based nutrition, and sugar-free indulgence, all wrapped in pastel cans that could easily sit on a Glossier shelf.
Even non-coffee RTDs reinforce the same point: the drink is just the vehicle. Kylie Jenner’s Sprinter, a canned vodka soda line launched in 2024, entered the market not with alcohol branding, but with high-end fashion cues, curated flavours, and a drop-style release strategy akin to sneaker culture.
The convergence is clear: coffee is no longer being sold as a beverage. It’s being sold as a statement.
The Gen Z effect: Coffee for the feed, not the cup
Much of this transformation is driven by Gen Z, whose expectations around consumption are radically different from those of previous generations. This is a demographic that grew up online, curating identities across platforms – and they now approach their purchases the same way.
A 2024 Morning Consult survey found that 74% of Gen Zers prefer real-world experiences over digital ones, with key shopping behaviours found to include socialising with their “inner circle” while shopping, and moving across online and offline modes seamlessly. For them, a drink is not just something to sip – it’s something to be seen with.
Coffee, in this context, is no longer purely functional. It is fashionable, theatrical, and seasonal – an accessory as much as a beverage. RTD brands have caught on, increasingly treating product launches like limited-edition merch drops or fragrance campaigns.
“Gen Z doesn’t just buy products, they buy into brands, culture, and values,” says Roberto. “Marketing coffee like fashion or beauty acknowledges that consumption today is deeply personal and expressive.”
Enter the flavour drop era, in which coffee is marketed not for origin or roast profile, but for novelty, nostalgia, and aesthetic fit.
Beyond La Colombe’s movement representative Strawberry Mocha Draft Latte, consider cereal milk lattes, lavender matcha, and even espresso tonics with activated charcoal, rolled out by specialty brands in tight seasonal windows, often in collaboration with influencers.
The launch strategy echoes that of sneaker brands and streetwear labels: scarcity, speed, and storytelling.
RTD coffee brands have adapted quickly. Products now arrive with branded hashtags, curated photo ops, and in many cases, capsule collections of merchandise. Packaging is no longer an afterthought – it’s a primary driver of purchase.
Brands like Pop & Bottle or Recess design cans that wouldn’t look out of place on a makeup counter. Coffee is being marketed like skincare, where the promise of transformation – mood, productivity, energy – is as important as the ingredients.
The shift toward flavour-first, function-forward beverages is a response to both a crowded market and a generation that values self-expression and curation. New research from Westrock Coffee Company indicates that a “surprising number of U.S. consumers are interested in exploring beverages with functional ingredients that provide health and wellness benefits.”
They want adaptogens, nootropics, mood support, and moments of indulgence – and they want it all delivered in a format that looks good in their hand and even better in their feed. In this context, the idea of coffee as “just coffee” seems quaint. For Gen Z, a beverage must deliver on multiple levels: experience, performance, and identity.
“Seasonal drops create urgency and novelty, influencer collaborations build trust and community, and wellness claims speak to a generation hyper-aware of mental and physical well-being,” says Roberto.
“This cohort grew up curating their lifestyles online; they expect their beverage choices to align with their personal narratives. By adopting tactics from lifestyle categories, coffee brands become part of Gen Z’s cultural language dynamic, customisable, and emotionally intelligent.”
Not just another cold brew
Ironically, the biggest danger facing RTD coffee is not bad coffee – it’s irrelevance. With so many new entries, brands can’t afford to compete on taste alone.
The product has become a platform for everything else – a delivery system for branding, lifestyle, and functionality.
Even Starbucks, the company that arguably invented the modern coffee experience, is evolving its own RTD strategy. Recent launches include Iced Hazelnut Oatmilk Shaken Espresso and Chocolate Cream Cold Brew, offerings that lean closer to dessert than traditional coffee.
The aesthetic is consistent: bold visuals, nostalgic cues, and digital-first marketing that appeals to Gen Z’s sense of play and personal curation.
It’s no coincidence that Emma Chamberlain’s coffee brand – which began as a direct-to-consumer offering – now has its own physical café in Los Angeles and aims to hit $33 million in revenue by the end of 2025, largely through limited-edition drops and lifestyle branding. Chamberlain Coffee has never sold itself on origin or roast. It sells “vibe,” and its LA haunt is now a one stop shop for all Chamberlain products, merch, and lifestyle.
The strategy is effective: high-margin, high-turnover, and tailored for a generation that expects constant novelty.
But it raises questions for the future of specialty coffee in RTD form. If the category becomes completely untethered from quality and provenance, can it still be called “specialty”? Or has the RTD revolution created an entirely new category – coffee-flavoured lifestyle?
“In a saturated market, the long-term winners will be those who innovate with intention,” says Roberto. “Lifestyle branding and innovation are critical to remain relevant, but they must be grounded in a brand’s core values and commitment to product excellence.”
“At our company Brandsparkle, we see quality and authenticity not as constraints but as the foundation upon which innovation is built. Whether it’s a new flavour profile, a functional ingredient, or a co-branded release, we ensure it aligns with our sourcing principles, craftsmanship, and brand ethos. Consumers are savvy – they can sense when a launch is trend-chasing versus when it’s thoughtfully executed. Authenticity isn’t sacrificed for innovation – it elevates it.”
In 2025, launching another cold brew simply won’t cut it. RTD coffee has become the site of a larger cultural shift – where beverages are marketed like beauty serums, and seasonal drops create the illusion of intimacy and innovation.
Whether through strawberry mocha lattes, mushroom adaptogens, or pastel cans packed with collagen, the most successful RTD coffee brands are those that speak the language of the moment – a language not about quality or ingredients, but about identity, ritual, and relevance.
Coffee Intelligence
Want to read more articles like this? Sign up for our newsletter here.
