Lattes are for softies, you say? They’re best served for soy-loving sissies, à la “Drops of Jupiter“? Well, not on Death Wish Coffee‘s watch. The Saratoga Springs–based company, which boasts that it has the “world’s strongest coffee,” has now released a coffee-in-a-can product, which it’s dubbing the World’s Strongest Latte.
Death Wish has had the drink in development for the past two years, and it contains a whopping 300 milligrams of caffeine per eight-ounce can—triple the strength of the average cup of coffee. “It took a long time for us to get it exactly the way we wanted it, but the final product was worth the wait,” says Eric Donovan, vice president of business
development at Death Wish Coffee. “The World’s Strongest Latte is ready just in time for the start of summer. Sales of ready-to-drink beverages typically start spiking during May as the weather gets warmer and consumers are looking for a sweet and more refreshing
way to caffeinate their day.”
Per Nielsen, the ready-to-drink market was valued at $22.4 billion in 2019 and is projected
to reach $42.36 billion by 2021. This is the fastest-growing segment in the retail coffee market and the fastest-growing nonalcoholic beverage product, as consumers become more health conscious, according to Mintel. Gen Z consumers—born between 1995 and 2007—are the primary ready-to-drink coffee audience, with 46 percent reporting that he or she has consumed ready-to-drink coffee. Globally, the ready-to-drink market was valued at $22.4 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $42.36 billion by 2021, according to Nielsen.
The coffee company put the latte-in-a-can idea into developing following hundreds of requests from current customers. “We take great pride in being a customer-centric business,” says Mike Pilkington, the company’s chief operating officer. “Our latte offering was born through listening to our customers tell us what they want, and we have delivered in a big—300 mg of caffeine—way.”
The new latte product is Death Wish’s third ready-to-drink product in as many years. In 2019, the company released an Unsweetened Black Cold Brew and a Slightly Sweetened Black Cold brew—both of which also pack 300 milligrams of caffeine per eight-ounce can.
