Finally, a specialty energy drink for specialty coffee shops: Next Level Energy Drinks.
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Here are the numbers: According to Statista, the energy drink market hit $159 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow to $233 billion by 2027. It’s clear that big players like Red Bull and McDonald’s, with their CosMc’s concept, have identified the coffee market as an opportunity for growth.
What Does That Mean for My Specialty Coffee Business?
You see hot debates on social media about whether “energy” belongs in specialty coffee, and with players like Red Bull, a multinational private conglomerate, stepping into the ring, the heat is understandable. Don’t worry, quality-minded café owners: You have a premium option in Next Level Energy Drinks.
Independent cafés and regional chains are in an excellent position to fill the need for thoughtful, craft creations that appeal to their unique and loyal customer base. You can offer customizations and local creations that your loyal customers appreciate.
Baristas are adept at building drinks from scratch using all sorts of ingredients; energy is another canvas for that creativity. Energy concentrates are typically mixed with sparkling water and flavor syrups, making vivid “Instagram-able” drinks that often include additions such as freeze-dried and fresh fruit, popping boba, glitter, candies, and all manner of drink bling. We’re seeing everything from the colorful sugar bomb to energized lemonade to truly healthy creations with coconut water and spirulina.
Concentrates like Next Level are a bridge across generational market trends with their versatility.
Bright-colored flavoring syrups and popping boba inclusions appeal to a younger demographic, while elevated creations using local kombucha or lavender house-made simple syrup with freeze-dried fruit inclusions appeal to purists and mature palates.
Who Is Next Level Energy?
Will Burrows, President and Mad Scientist at Next Level Energy, wanted a clean label offering with limited SKUs and ingredients everybody needs, with ample research backing them up. There are so many new supplements and adaptogens that the average consumer does not yet understand.
“Next Level Energy is coffee that doesn’t taste like coffee!” says Will. “I source natural caffeine from the decaffeination process for green coffee, L-theanine from green tea, along with other essential amino acids and B vitamins. Cafés already have lots of flavoring options—syrups, smoothies, and sauces. Using our Original, Sugar-Free, and Caffeine-Free concentrates, customers can create any flavor/color in the rainbow with what they already have on hand.”
“The addition of Synergy with the magic of spirulina differentiates who we are and where our values lie,” Will continues. “Blue spirulina is the most nutrient-dense food source on the planet while also having a completely natural blue color. The spirulina we source is produced in a closed-loop system that recycles CO2 and eliminates environmental contaminants. Our Synergy is already colored with blue spirulina and needs no flavoring. Synergy is the quickest way to add healthy, unique energy to your menu. We will continue to innovate and plan to launch a new sugar-free formula that finally kicks sucralose to the curb.”
Plus, you can make it your own: Based in Mount Pleasant, Texas, Next Level Energy has full capacity at its plant to provide private label and custom formulation services in addition to its own branded product line.
How Does This Affect My Bottom Line?
Coffee shops greatly benefit from the stabilizing profitability of these popular offerings. Many early adopters of Next Level Energy Drinks have gone from surviving to thriving after introducing Next Level’s offerings.
Coffee chains see a sustained spike in revenue when they introduce energy drinks. The offerings don’t take away from their core coffee business but bring in new customers, especially in the afternoon.
Brandon Knudsen, Ziggi’s Coffee CEO, is quoted saying in QSR Magazine that since the launch of the Ziggi’s energy drink program, operators have seen a “25% increase in units sold,” Brandon said. “It has added folks in the morning, but we’re selling the same amount of energy all day long. Our loyal customers are coming back in and drinking energy, so that’s exciting. It’s been great for business all around.”
Ellianos Coffee launched energy drinks fueled by Red Bull in 2022 as a limited offering that quickly became a permanent fixture. In 2023, they introduced their Ellianos Edge Energy drinks, made with an energy concentrate, in addition to their Red Bull offerings and have seen a sustained sales spike of 22%.
Dutch Bros, which has been in the made-to-order energy game since 2012 with its Rebel energy drinks, has seen the category grow to be its number-one seller.
What Do I Need to Consider When Launching an Energy Program?
Sparkling Water:
Do I have storage for canned/bottled sparkling water or shall I invest in an equipment program? Next Level Energy created the industry’s first sparkling water equipment program through partnership with Enhanced Beverage Solutions, making the entrance into energy offerings more efficient while bringing sparkling water costs down to less than one-quarter of a cent per ounce. This allows cafés to broaden sparkling iced options in other areas, too, like espresso and tea sodas.
Recipes:
Once your baristas fall in love with Next Level Energy Drinks, you can encourage their creativity by sharing with them Next Level Energy Drinks’ recipes—many of which utilize ingredients you already have in your shop—and inspire them to create their own drinks!
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