Fattening single-cup sales with Skinnygirl

A Canadian company is hoping to fatten sales by partnering with Skinnygirl in a new line of cocktail-inspired teas and coffees. "As a company we recognized that brands are important to consumers in the hot beverage segment," said Robin White, vice president sales and marketing of Single Cup Coffee. The Mississauga, Ont.-based company distributes a growing number of brand beverages that are compatible with most single-serve brewing systems. Starting this fall, seven teas and coffees carrying the Skinnygirl label will be added to the Single Cup Coffee line up. “We designed the teas to mimic the flavor of my favorite cocktails without the guilt, zero calories, no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners," Skinnygirl founder and American reality-television star Bethenny Frankel said when the partnership was announced in late Aug. The New York self-help author and talk-show maven built a Skinnygirl cocktail brand that she recently sold to Fortune Brands' Beam Global for an estimated $100 million. However, she retained the use of the Skinnygirl brand name, and has developed several high-quality, calorie-conscious products such as liquid sweeteners, nutrition bars, salad dressings, popcorn, and hummus and dips. According to White, Frankel put the same taste- and waist-inspired rigor went into the development over the past year of the seven new Skinnygirl cocktail-inspired beverages, which include Sangria Hibiscus, Mojito Mint, Cranberry Cosmo and Peach Bellini teas, and Half Caff and Americano coffee. The Peach Bellini notably won a Top-Ten award for best innovative product award at the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers' Grocery & Specialty Food 2015 showcase in Vancouver in April. "Bethenny was very hands on," White said.  "I've literally stood in her kitchen in her house in the Hamptons tasting teas and coffees." The new better-for-you, cocktail-inspired brand, he added, is a great addition to the branded beverages his company started serving up in 2014: Cake Boss coffee, Stash tea and Guy Fieri Flavortown Roasts. "It's unique (and) is an uncrowded space in the single serve category," said White. Orders are now being taken for the new Skinnygirl teas and coffees, which is first-run production and will sell at a suggested retail price of $8.99.