BROOKLYN, New York — ITO EN has been brewing tea for 40 years but the firm also knows a thing or two about coffee.
Last week the Japanese company’s Brooklyn-based subsidiary introduced a ready-to-drink Jay Street Coffee line in 16.9 fl. oz. recyclable PETE 1 bottles. The coffee, in four flavors, sells for $2.49 a bottle.
“Similar to our TEAS’ TEA and Oi Ocha brands of fresh brewed ready-to-drink tea products, we developed the Jay Street Coffee brand to leverage our expertise in fresh brewed great tasting beverages,” says Jim Hoagland, Executive V.P. of Sales and Marketing for ITO EN (North America). Hoagland notes that “the ready-to-drink coffee category is growing at almost 20% per year and we believe that the combination of our state-of-the-art technology to freshly brew on all natural, shelf stable coffee in a lightweight PETE bottle will appeal to today’s active coffee lover.”
The Mocha, Latte and Vanilla flavors are 100% Arabica fresh brewed and blended with milk from dairy herds that have not been treated with rBST. The bottles depict a landmark water tower located atop of ITO EN’s 20 Jay Street building, a historic brownstone window and an iron wrought gate. The three new bottled coffees (Mocha, Latte and Vanilla) are a healthier alternative to the calorie-rich coffees on the market today. With only 180 calories per bottle, Jay Street Coffee is strong in character, but not overly sweet.
“We are excited to be launching a locally inspired beverage that was conceptualized in our offices on Jay Street,” says Rona Tison, Sr. Vice President of Corporate Relations. “We are proud to be part of the growing community and wanted to honor Brooklyn with this fun new coffee line.”
In 1987 ITO EN acquired Shimoko and Sons, Inc. makers of Aloha Maid Tropical Fruit Drinks, a line that now includes Royal Mills canned coffee, moca and cappuccino premium iced coffees that are shelf-stable without the use of preservatives.
Learn more: ITO EN