Beyond the Pod: A New Era of Single-Serve Coffee Options

Although pod coffee and K-cups have been rising in popularity for years, other single-serve coffee options are also being introduced that have the opportunity to attain a much larger share of the coffee market. This is according to Packaged Facts in the report Office Coffee Service in the U.S: Market Trends and Opportunities, 4th Edition (published June 2020).

For instance, Steeped Coffee, which launched in 2017, offers a patented single-cup solution that is easy and convenient while also being fully compostable. Like with tea, the user submerges a coffee bag in a cup of hot water and steeps it, with no brewing machine required. Thus, the product’s comparable cost to other single-cup coffee products paired with no need for rental or purchase of a brewer can make it very competitive in office environments and even at home as many employees continue to telecommute.

Although some consumers might be skeptical of the product, the five available Steeped Coffee varieties are all specialty coffees without additives. Described as being similar to coffee made in a French press, many consumers may find this coffee flavorful and convenient compared to other options available in the office or at home (such as Keurig single-serve or communal pots of coffee that require brewers).

Additionally, as COVID-19 continues to promise to change offices as they (and still in many cases when they) reopen in 2020 and beyond, many companies may be considering the elimination of a workplace coffee station where employees gather and have the potential to spread germs to others via surfaces or close proximity. Steeped coffee can solve this problem by allowing all employees to brew their own coffee at their desk in a mug, thus offering a touch-free and instant solution for social distancing in office environments.

As more people work from home and companies are considering amenity packages for their work-at-home employees to offer them perks that others get in the office, steeped coffee can also be a great option since it requires no brewer and is lightweight and easy to ship.