VISTA, Calif., U.S. — NuZee, Inc., announced yesterday that it has signed a co-packing agreement with Gevalia Kaffe, a Kraft Heinz brand. Under the terms of the agreement, NuZee will prepare and custom package coffee supplied by Kraft Heinz into a single serve pour-over pouch for sale under the Gevalia Kaffe brand. Production at NuZee’s facility in Vista, California commenced in early May.
“This launch is at the foundation of our Café at Home platform, a line of products that allows consumers to experience their favorite café beverage in the comfort of their own home without the need for a special brewer,” said Greg O’Neil, Brand Manager for Premium Coffee. “We’re thrilled to partner with NuZee, Inc. to help bring our vision for Gevalia® to life.”
“This is our first co-packing agreement with a global food manufacturer, and we believe that the size of the client and the potential opportunity provide NuZee with significant momentum,” said Masa Higashida, NuZee’s Chief Executive Officer. “The Gevalia® Kaffe offering will be the first major branded single-serve pour-over coffee product available to U.S. consumers. This reflects Kraft Heinz’s history of supporting and creating innovative new food and beverage products.”
Mr. Higashida noted that single serve pour-over coffee is a common and popular brewing method in Asia. The market in Japan alone is estimated to be approximately 2.5 billion cups per year.
NuZee’s Vista facility is the only currently operating and certified single-serve pour-over coffee manufacturing and co-packing facility in the United States. NuZee owns the exclusive North America rights to utilize the machinery used to manufacture this product. The Company previously announced plans to open a new manufacturing hub in Plano, Texas that should be operational later this year. In 2018, NuZee’s Vista facility received Level 2 SQF Certification. The facility is also Fair Trade, Organic, Halal, and Kosher certified.
“NuZee is continuing to position its business towards the manufacture of single serve pour-over coffee, with a focus on co-packing and private labeling for regional and global brands,” said Travis Gorney, President and COO. “Today’s announcement reflects our continuing progress towards re-shaping our business and elevating NuZee’s industry’s profile. We are in dialogue with other such large global companies and expect to continue the growth of our co-packing business.”
