Flavoured coffee now infusing the brewed market segment: ______________________

MAVIS BANK Coffee Factory Limited, makers of Jablum coffee, is rolling out three infused flavours that include French vanilla, coconut rum and gold rum coffees to the Caribbean market

Mavis Bank already offers the French vanilla flavour for its other lower-tiered brand, True Blue, but is packaging infused coffees under the premium Jablum label for the first time.

“It is aimed at Caribbean consumers,” said Mavis Bank CEO Norman Grant. “We know there is a market for it and we are trying to roll it out in Jamaica and different Caribbean countries.”

Outside its home market, Mavis Bank will also target The Cayman Islands, Nassau, Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago for sales. The product has been available in select channels for a month now, he said.

The size of the investment to create the products and do the soft launch was not disclosed, nor would Grant comment on the growth expectations for the company.

Jablum Caribbean is a blend of Jamaican, Caribbean and Latin American coffees, but Grant declined to name the precise locations from which the beans are sourced.

Flavoured coffee is a niche market for the brewed product but an apparent staple for the instant market. Locally, Nescafé holds the lead in French vanillaflavoured coffee served from dispensaries across the country. Jablum is targeting consumers who appreciate the taste of infused coffee but want it as a brewed product.

Jablum Caribbean will retail for $1,800 to $2,000 per 10ounce bag. A typical 100 per cent Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee from Jablum retails for about $2,200 to $2,400 plus GCT for an 8oz bag.

Other companies with infused coffees include Mavis Bank’s sister company Wallenford Coffee, which also sells the French vanilla flavour; Tortuga International also sells coconut rum and gold rum coffees in 10oz bags. Tortuga is a subsidiary of the Jamaica Producers Group, a food and logistics conglomerate that was once a co-owner of Mavis Bank, before the partners sold out.

Jamaican coffee tends to be sold on cruise ships and in Sandals resorts across the region. Generally, Caribbean retailers tend to stock cheaper commodity coffees, with a few exceptions, such as the Cayman Islands, which sells Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee along with coffees from around the world.

The latest public information on Mavis Bank indicates that it made net profit of $86 million for the 10 months ended October 2016 on sales of $1.2 billion, or roughly $103 million net profit when annualised. There are no public figures on the company since it changed ownership.