Ritual Coffee launches new single-origin instant coffee
San Francisco, California-based Ritual Coffee has partnered with instant coffee roaster Swift Cup Coffee to create a Ritual Instant Coffee five-pack. Each new instant coffee offering will be carefully chosen by Ritual’s green coffee sourcing team.
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 cafés or at their workplaces,” said 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,” shared Ritual Coffee founder, 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,” Rinaldi said.
“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,” she explained, adding, “I do dream of taking it with me on a magical vacation when travel is safe.”
Ritual’s long-time green coffee buyer and specialty coffee expert, Aaron Van der Groen, said, “We’re beginning to understand which whole bean coffees translate best into instant coffee.” He said that the first coffee in the new instant coffee line-up is one of Ritual’s favourites 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 flavour profile that reminds me of sweet watermelon and juicy ripe summer peaches, and it has a nice, delicate oolong tea finish,” said Van der Groen.
Ritual Instant Coffee’s new five-pack comes in an eco-friendly sachet and retails for $19.99. This new line is available at Ritual’s four Bay Area cafés, at Whole Foods stores in Northern California and online for nationwide shipping.
