White Castle releases single-serve coffees

Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle is making its medium-roast coffee available in single-cup coffee p…

Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle is making its medium-roast coffee available in single-cup coffee pods for consumers to brew at home.

"We're thrilled to offer our ‘cravers’ the ease and convenience of the new single-serve coffee cups so those on the go can savor the taste of our premium blend," said White Castle Vice President Jamie Richardson in a statement. "We are just as passionate about the process to achieve a great cup of coffee as we are about making our famous sliders."

Since 1996, White Castle has sold its bagged Original Restaurant Blend Coffee in grocery stores. Now the brand is expanding its coffee formats to keep up with the fast-growing single-serve coffee segment, it says. A 2012 study by the National Coffee Association shows significant growth in the single-serve coffee format and forecasts continued growth. Currently, single-serve cups account for more than a quarter of every dollar spent on coffee in the United States, according to the report. Experts forecast that by 2018 the amount Americans spend on single-serve coffee pods will equal what is being spent on bulk coffee, White Castle says.

To match this growing consumer demand, White Castle now offers its Original Restaurant Blend Coffee in 12-packs of single-serve coffee pods at local grocery stores, in more than 400 White Castle restaurants, and through White Castle’s online store. The single-serve pods are compatible with brewers that accept K-Cup portion pods, the company says.

"The single-serve brewing system technology has changed the way millions of Americans enjoy their morning cup of coffee," said Rob Camp, vice president of White Castle Food Products Division, in a statement. "The ability to have a fresh-brewed cup of coffee in a matter of seconds has made single-serve brewing popular with younger coffee drinkers who are the fastest-growing segment of in-home coffee consumers. Offering our Original Restaurant Blend in a single-serving format ensures that our coffee is available for their preferred method of brewing."

White Castle's coffee is made by selecting high-grade 100 percent Arabica beans to maximize flavor and aroma, it says. Coffee was one of the four original menu items, along with The Original Slider, pie and Coca-Cola, at the chain’s first restaurant in Wichita, Kan., in 1921, it adds.