SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., U.S. — Ritual Instant Coffee 5-pack is launching. The new line is a collaboration between San Francisco’s Ritual Coffee Roasters and instant coffee guru Swift Cup Coffee. It is available now on their colorful new website and at their four Bay Area cafés and on the shelves of Northern California Whole Foods stores for $19.99. This product is also available for nationwide shipping.
Each new instant coffee offering will be carefully chosen by Ritual’s green coffee sourcing team. Expect some of Ritual’s favorite coffees from their long-standing producer relationships. Each serving comes in an eco-friendly sachet in festive gold-foiled 5-pack boxes perfect for stocking stuffers or gifts for any coffee enthusiast this holiday season.
Instant coffee in the “Third Wave” era isn’t exactly new — it’s been around for a few years now, but recently sales have soared because of the pandemic, according to Swift Cup Founder Nate Kaiser. “Interest and enthusiasm for specialty-grade instant coffee continues to grow as the quality gets better and better and as it becomes more accessible. Our sales have increased substantially in the pandemic with so many people brewing coffee at home instead of getting it in cafes or at their workplaces,” says Kaiser.
“If you would have told me five years ago that our company would create an instant coffee line, I wouldn’t have believed you,” reflects Ritual Coffee Founder and Owner Eileen Rinaldi. “Looking back on it now, it was unheard of that half of my suitcase was coffee. I couldn’t stand to go on vacation or travel for work and be forced to drink terrible coffee in airports, hotels and beyond, and many people would express a similar sentiment. When we found the opportunity to create our brand of instant coffee, we jumped on it!” says Rinaldi, excitedly.
“Of course none of us are traveling frequently now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however it’s a lifesaver in the mornings as I juggle caring for my two young children and Zoom meetings! I do dream of taking it with me on a magical vacation when travel is safe,” says Rinaldi.
“We’re beginning to understand which whole bean coffees translate best into instant coffee,” says Ritual’s long-time Green Coffee Buyer and specialty coffee expert, Aaron Van der Groen, who describes coffee like you would a fine wine. “The first coffee in the new instant coffee line-up is one of our very favorites and is grown by small shareholder producers at the Hama Cooperative in Ethiopia, a relationship that Ritual has been fostering for ten years now. It has a really interesting flavor profile that reminds me of sweet watermelon and juicy ripe summer peaches, and it has a nice, delicate oolong tea finish.”
