SEATTLE, May 5, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Seattle's Best Coffee(r) (SBC) called upon its customers to help develop an entirely new concept in ice-blended beverages, the JavaKula, launching May 12 at SBC cafes throughout North America. Created and perfected by SBC beverage conceptualist Steve Hayter and his colleagues -- after numerous taste tests by SBC customers -- the resulting six JavaKula flavors are intensely flavorful and refreshing, yet lightly textured and low in fat.
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JavaKula's flavors include two coffee-free choices, Cascade Berry and Vanilla Bean, and four flavors made with "toddy" smooth coffee: Creme Caramel, Chocolate, Double Mint Chocolate Chip, and Vanilla Coffee. While all contain four grams of fat or less, Cascade Berry and Vanilla Coffee are both considered low fat according to FDA regulations.
"We've spent months creating, taste-testing and perfecting these beverages with customers in the Seattle and California markets," said Steve Hayter. "Our customers asked for an ice-blended beverage option that is light, yet hearty enough to be satisfying, as well as refreshing and flavorful.
"We are using complex, layered and natural flavoring combinations to give our beverages intense depth and character," Hayter continued. "The result is authentic flavor with a light, icy, blended texture."
Hayter also said the taste tests went so well that SBC is offering an unprecedented money-back guarantee that JavaKula tastes better than any other cafe's ice-blended beverage.
Another key reason SBC's JavaKula fared so well in the taste tests, is the use of toddy coffee rather than espresso or powdered coffee. Toddy is a cold-brewed process that removes the acidity from the coffee, eliminating the bitterness that is often found in espresso-based beverages. This ancient brewing style takes up to 12 hours and produces a syrupy concentrated coffee that is often described as tasting the way coffee smells. When combined with hot or cold water, it creates a smooth and mellow coffee beverage. Toddy coffee, by its nature, allows the flavor of the JavaKula beverage to dominate rather than the coffee. The unique combination of ingredients, as well as the natural, imported, proprietary flavorings, also differentiate JavaKula from other blended beverages on the market.
About Seattle Coffee Company
Founded in 1970, Seattle Coffee Company, a subsidiary of AFC Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:AFCEE), franchises and operates 196 Seattle's Best Coffee(r) (www.seattlesbest.com) and 21 Torrefazione Italia(r) Coffee (www.titalia.com) cafes in eight countries. The company has more than 12,000 wholesale points of distribution, including grocery stores, restaurants, foodservice locations, airlines and hotels. The company supports TransFair USA, a non-profit monitoring agency, by offering Fair Trade Certified(tm) coffee. Seattle's Best Coffee(r) also offers organic coffee certified by the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA(r)). The OCIA is an international program of certification to strict organic standards. It is the world's largest organic certification agency and has been accredited by the USDA. OCIA is a respected voice in the international organic community.
About AFC Enterprises
AFC Enterprises, Inc. is the franchisor and operator of 4,071 restaurants, bakeries and cafes in the United States, Puerto Rico and 33 foreign countries under the brand names Popeyes(r) Chicken & Biscuits, Church's Chicken(tm), Cinnabon(r), Seattle's Best Coffee(r) and Torrefazione Italia(r) Coffee. AFC's primary objective is to be the world's Franchisor of Choice(r) by offering investment opportunities in highly recognizable brands and exceptional franchisee support systems and services. AFC Enterprises had system-wide sales of approximately $2.7 billion in 2002 and can be found on the World Wide Web at www.afce.com.
- Fair Trade Certified is a pending trademark of TransFair USA
- OCIA is a registered trademark of the Organic Crop Improvement Association.