‘EXCITING MILESTONE’
Death Wish Coffee releases first-ever medium roast
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » Death Wish Coffee Company, the Saratoga Springs-based business known nationwide as the creators of the World’s Strongest Coffee, is releasing its first-ever medium roast.
After experiencing a 51.9 percent increase in coffee sales since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a demand for something lighter than the original dark roast, Death Wish Coffee Company spent the past nine months researching and developing the World’s Strongest Medium Roast, which is now available for purchase.
This marks the second largest product launch in the company’s history, an exciting milestone for Chief Executive Officer Mike Brown, who founded the business a decade ago.
“When I first tasted what our team had created, it immediately brought me back to my small garage apartment behind my mom’s house. All the emotions I felt back in 2011 returned,” he said in a press release. ‘“I thought to myself, ‘Damn, they’ve done it again. This might be the world’s most perfect medium roast!’”
Death Wish Coffee Company experienced significant workforce growth last year, despite the pandemic, allowing the team to focus more
Death Wish Coffee Company spent the past nine months researching and developing the World’s Strongest Medium Roast, which is now available for purchase.
on product line expansion.
In addition to relocating its headquarters to Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, the team grew by almost 100 percent, according to Vice President of Talent and Culture Lindsey Speach.
In May 2020, the company surveyed 13,000 of its customers to understand how their lives had changed as a result of COVID-19 and found that half of all respondents said their coffee consumption had increased by at least one or two cups per day.
Furthermore, coffeelovers were brewing and drinking those cups at home. “We have built an incredibly strong reputation both online and in grocery stores,” Chief Operating Officer Mike Pilkington said in the release. “COVID-19 has driven people into the home to consume their coffee, and we are confident that our medium roast will embody the brew the way our customers expect.”
Death Wish Coffee Medium Roast, an all-natural USDA Certified Organic and Fair Trade product, is made from Arabica and Robusta coffee beans sourced from Ethiopia, India and Peru.
The new medium roast is being marketed as “a lighter shade of bold” since it is a shade or two lighter than the original blend, but it still contains the cult-classic caffeine levels that Death Wish Coffee Company is known for. The roast is grown at higher altitudes for a complex flavor profile, with hints of caramel and roasted peanuts, notes of stone fruit and smooth dark chocolate to finish. The balanced blend is ideal for those who need an afternoon pick-me-up or want something lighter than a dark roast, without sacrificing the extra kick of caffeine.
“We always strive to give our customers what they ask for, but we can only do it if it meets our uncompromised key criteria: First, it must be organic. Second, the beans must be ethically sourced and Fair Trade Certified. Third, we would never compromise the taste experience … the flavor must be superb but completely absent of any acidic aftertaste,” vice president of sales Steve Frania said in the release. “And finally, it must be highly-caffeinated - after all, we are the World’s Strongest Coffee.”
Before the official product launch, Death Wish Coffee Company opened its online store for pre-order of its new medium roast coffee earlier this year.
“Our extremely loyal customer base has proven once again that they trust us by boosting their daily passion with a new highly caffeinated flavor. During the five-day pre-order period earlier this month, 42.7 percent of our online coffee sales were attributed to our new blend (46 percent of units sold),” vice president of marketing Yaffit Salmanson said in the release. “This incredible product launch makes us more confident than ever before that we can sustain our growth trajectory by successfully tapping into new market segments and answering a need for a lighter version of our iconic Dark Roast blend.”
The new roast is available to purchase in the form of whole bean, ground and Death Cups (single-serve coffee pods) from deathwishcoffee. com, grocery stores and Amazon.com.
More information on Death Wish Coffee Company’s medium roast can be found online at deathwishcoffee.com/medium.
The Covid-19 vaccine pursuit has quickly become a frustrating experience for many. I have heard from seniors, their children, and grandchildren about how they are waking up at 5 a.m. to get a crack at landing what I now call the Covid-19 vaccine lottery.
What is even more interesting is when people tell me they were able to secure their vaccine appointment - in April in Potsdam or Utica. What a crazy time and it is just the beginning. This whole process has been off the rails for the last two weeks when the age threshold was lowered from 75 to 65 which expanded the pool of potential candidates for the vaccine from 4 million to 7 million. This expansion occurred as we just passed 1,000,000 vaccines in the state. This means for every 7 people eligible, there was 1 vaccine available.
This demand and undersupply have led to scores of cancellations for first responders, health professionals and the developmentally disabled population. This alone has caused consternation which is why I joined with my colleagues Pat Fahy, Carrie Woerner and Neil Breslin last week to request that we edge back to the former priority of 1A and 1B groups until supply grows. Our letter was received and encouraged more ideas and suggestions. Here is one that I want to mention – preregistration.
What is pre-registration? It is essentially filling out the necessary paperwork and survey that is required for the vaccine as well as sharing the EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) or the patient information as I like to call it. By doing this ahead of time, this will essentially clear individuals to receive the Covid-19 vaccine and have them ready to go when supplies become available. I liken it to a park pass at Disney or securing a TSA preboard clearance. It is getting the required paperwork out of the way during the next three to four weeks so that when the time comes, and the vaccine can be administered – we are off to the races.
I have reviewed the pilot program for California and Florida kicked their program off recently. I made this suggestion to the Governor’s staff this past week and was assured that they would look into the program. I hope that they do as I believe this is the best we can do to prepare until the vaccine is in greater supply. I am hopeful that this information will be coming forward soon so stay alert and be in touch!