Caffè Tonic Beverage Development

The old soda standards - Coke®, Pepsi®, etc. – are rapidly losing market share as consumers increasingly shun soda. We found a growing demand for refreshing energy in a more tasteful, healthful way.

Based on the espresso tonic drink, we partnered with beverage industry veterans to explore the viability of turning this trending espresso bar favorite into a ready-to-drink (RTD) product. With a flavor benchmark in hand, we worked with beverage architects to develop a scalable recipe. In parallel, we created the brand foundation and positing based on the unusual pairing of espresso and tonic water, which included logo designs, packaging explorations, and conceptual activation strategy.

Alongside beverage architects, we conducted several rounds of tests exploring dozens of different product ratios to achieve the perfect flavor profile to be reproduced on a large scale.

As we further understood how our target customer related to specific brand elements, our team developed a unique brand story with corresponding logo mark and type to be applied on cans and other marketing materials.

Considering an exit strategy, we needed to determine the scalability of Caffe Tonic. We explored three hypothetical roadmaps to inform the business plan:

1. a traditional line extension expanding on the main flavor with decaf and low calorie options

2. flavor extensions that explore different top notes (e.g. citrus, mint, lavender)

3. completely new “perfectly unlikely” combinations (e.g. O.J. + chocolate, garlic + water).