King Coffee, a beverage OEM player in Thailand, has launched its own coffee brand XO Cube, which is an instant freeze-dried coffee in a cube format. The freeze-dried coffee is still a small segment in Thailand with all brands imported, said Taninrat Dechodomphan, chief executive of King Coffee.
Mr Taninrat describes its freeze-dried coffee “has a taste that is nearly as fresh as brewed coffee”. The locally-produced freeze-dried coffee is also more cost competitive since it is made in Thailand. King Coffee is the first Thai factory to produce freeze-dried coffee.
XO Cube comes in three varieties XO Cube 3-in-1, XO Cube Mocca and Americano targeting first-time workers and office workers.
For us, we believe the brand’s initial focus is to highlight the attributes of convenience, quality and novelty. The brand can expand on the novelty aspect by encouraging consumers to mix coffee with other RTD beverages. The company can also expand into adjacent categories such as coffee candy.
The sustainability angle can be explored. In development markets, the lighter, concentrated cube format is often marketed as being more eco-friendly as it has less carbon footprint than the heavier RTD coffee.
