Dunkin' Donuts Announces Plan To Sell Bottled Iced Coffee
CANTON (CBS) – Big news for Dunkin' lovers: DD's iced coffee will soon be sold in bottles at a store near you.
Dunkin' Donuts announced Thursday that it's getting into the ready-to-drink coffee business. The bottled beverages, which will include iced coffee, are going to be available early next year nationwide.
Coca-Cola will manufacture, distribute and sell the product in grocery, convenience stores, mass merchandisers and Dunkin' locations.
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Dunkin' says ready-to-drink coffee is a $2.3 billion business, which Starbucks and Pepsi-Co currently dominate. The two companies said last year that they have a 97 percent share of the ready-to-drink coffee category.
It's not exactly clear yet what kind of bottled drinks Dunkin' will sell besides iced coffee, but they'll include real milk and sugar in several different flavors, the company said.
Could selling bottled drinks at supermarkets keep customers away from Dunkin' locations? Dunkin' Donuts doesn't think so, but notes it will share profits from the sales with franchisees.
"This new product introduction will increase consumption of Dunkin' Donuts coffee and increase our brand relevance with existing and new consumers, including many younger customers, which we believe will in turn, drive incremental visits to our restaurants," Dunkin' said in a statement.