US coffee company to launch fortified cold drinks

NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - A small U.S. coffee company that has latched onto the growing trend of boosting drinks with health supplements is set to launch ready-to-serve cold coffees this summer, Javalution Coffee Company has said.
The four JavaFit cold coffee drinks will have various functions including improving mental clarity, suppressing appetites, and boosting immune systems and energy levels, said Scott Pumper, Javalution president and co-founder.
"Our goal is to enhance someone's lifestyle rather than to have them make a drastic change," Pumper said.
"As health and wellness is more prevalent in this country, consumers are more educated than they have been in past years so now people are asking, 'how do I live a healthier lifestyle without making too many changes?" Pumper said.
Florida-based Javalution, an independent coffee roaster started in 2003, manufactures regular coffees, specializing in what Pumper called "functional gourmet coffees".
Functional drinks, beverages that have had supplements such as vitamins or other health properties added, are increasingly popular but are typically in soft drink or water form. Enviga, launched jointly by Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) and Nestle (NESN.VX) in late 2006, is a calorie-burning sparkling green tea that blends tea extracts, calcium and caffeine.
In August, Javalution will launch four ready-to-drink JavaFit cold coffees -- Diet Plus, Energy Extreme, Focus Plus Multi-Vitamin and Immune Plus Multi-Vitamin -- to be sold in U.S. outlets including convenience stores, coffee shops and health clubs.
The 11-ounce cold coffees will be packaged in Tetra Pak and were expected to sell for $2.99 to $3.29 each. The new products, an expansion of Javalution's four JavaFit coffees already sold in ground-bean blends or as brewed coffee, will expand to the European market by the end of 2008, Pumper said.
"Most people on a diet don't stay on it because they have to do something different," he said, adding that drinking coffee is already a part of many people's daily routine.
One of the many U.S. beverage trends includes consumers' growing interest in drinks that do more than please the palate and quench a thirst, said John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest in Bedford Hills, New York.
"Many American consumers are looking for their beverages to work harder for them -- to give them an energy boost, vitamins, some nutritional value. We're seeing this across a broad spectrum of the beverage business," Sicher said.
Last year, the world's largest beverage maker Coca-Cola Co. bought Glaceau, the maker of vitaminwater -- sweet and colorful water drinks with added vitamins.
"Many consumers drink coffee for the energy function. Coffee really is a functional beverage. Beyond that, we've not seen many instances of other functional ingredients added to coffee at this point," Sicher said.
This trend in fortified beverages began around 2003 and appears to be in the industry for the long term, Sicher said. (Reporting by Marcy Nicholson; Editing by David Gregorio.