HELSINKI, Finland – This year, the Frezza milk-coffee beverage is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The cold coffee drinks have been a refreshing delight in people’s everyday lives since the early 2000s. To honour the anniversary, Paulig wants to reduce Frezza’s carbon footprint and start selling the beverage from bottles made entirely from recycled plastic.
20 years ago, the launch of Paulig Frezza marked the birth of a completely new cold coffee drink segment in Finland. The first Frezza flavour was a chocolate flavoured Mocca (previously Mocha). The Frezza launch was a great success for which Paulig also won the AC Nielsen award of grocery product launch of the year 2002.
The initial idea for Paulig Frezza came from a desire to create a coffee product that would have an appeal to young people specifically. In the early 2000s, Paulig discovered that there was a clear demand for cold coffee drinks.
”Paulig’s product development succeeded in finding a delicious flavour for an espresso-based cold milk-coffee beverage. The product name was also immensely successful. The word Frezza doesn’t mean anything in particular, but consumers associate it with Italy and something cool, which is a perfect fit for the product,” says Frezza’s Brand Manager Tyrsky Ylppö from Paulig.
The most popular cold coffee drink in Finland and the Estonia
Nowadays, grocery stores typically feature an entire shelf full of cold coffee drinks. Paulig Frezza is the most popular cold coffee drink in Finland and the Estonia* with young people as its main target group. However, Frezza lovers can be found in all age groups.
”Nearly a third of Finns drink cold coffee drinks every month, and the amount is expected to rise,” says Ylppö.
Such is the strength of the Frezza brand that even the pandemic failed to have a significant impact on the sale of the Frezza products, although the demand for many other impulse products decreased as people stayed more at home.
“According to studies, the main motivation for drinking cold coffee drinks is to treat oneself. The secret to the success of Frezza coffee drinks is their uniquely delicious taste and the perception that the drink offers a perfect pampering moment that you want to experience again and again.”
More sustainable bottles in the future
Currently the rich and sweet Frezza product family comes in seven different delicious flavours – and all the drinks are lactose free, of course. The first Frezza flavour, Mocca, is still part of the offering and also in the limelight in the anniversary campaign.
”In the early years, there were only a few flavours of the Frezza coffee. Then we started to introduce the Limited Edition seasonal flavours, but many of them became so well liked that they were added in the product range permanently. The latest addition is the banana flavoured Crazy Banana drink.”
The first, nostalgic Frezza coffee drinks were enjoyed from cute, small glass bottles. Over the years, the packaging has changed into lighter PET plastic bottles that are easier to carry around and include a deposit for recycling. Meanwhile, the bottle size has been increased – so that there’s enough coffee for everyone to enjoy.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary, Paulig wants to reduce the carbon footprint of the Frezza products even more
“This year, we will replace the existing bottles with bottles made from 100% recycled plastic, and the Frezza coffee drinks will start featuring the Rainforest Alliance seal. Sustainability is a strong value for Paulig, and we will continue to closely monitor trends and develop the sustainability of our products.”
Paulig’s Sustainability Programme: https://www.pauliggroup.com/sustainability/can-you-taste-the-change
*Source: Cold drinks category study, Finland & Estonia weeks 30-33, 2020, N (FI & EE) = 1011 & 1379, Nepa.
