ARLINGTON, Va. – Nestlé USA continues to diversify its coffee portfolio with the acquisition of Chameleon Cold-Brew, a provider of premium crafted coffee sourced consciously and grown sustainably.
Founded in 2010, Austin, Texas-based Chameleon has become the No. 1 organic cold brew brand in the United States, notes Nestle in a press release, and one of the top three refrigerated cold brew brands in the country. Its current portfolio consists of multi-serve concentrates and single-serve, ready-to-drink products, two segments that account for 18% of the $2.5 billion in-home coffee category.
“Chameleon has been extremely fortunate to grow from our hometown base of cold-brew lovers in Austin to a national brand in just a few short years,” said Chris Campbell, co-founder and CEO. “Partnering with a world-class company like Nestlé will give us the opportunity to do so on a bigger platform. Our shared values around product integrity and commitment to sustainability made Nestlé the best choice to enable Chameleon Cold-Brew to accomplish our goals for the future.”
Chameleon’s products are available in a variety of formats: ready-to-drink cold-brew, cold-brew concentrate, kegs, cold brew kits and whole bean coffee. Retailers carrying these products include Whole Foods, Target, Safeway, Albertson’s, and Bed, Bath and Beyond.
“We believe the Chameleon brand is perfectly positioned to support Nestlé’s strategy for coffee, which is to have a variety of offerings in terms of format, taste and price points,” said Paul Grimwood, chairman and CEO of Nestlé USA. “We believe this relationship will benefit both of us as we expand our access to the emerging cold brew category while helping Chameleon grow so that more people can enjoy its delicious, premium crafted coffee.”
As the world’s largest coffee producer, Nestlé champions responsible coffee sourcing around the world. Through the Nescafé Plan and the Farmer Connect program, the company has made a commitment to help secure the future of coffee. Nestlé is working directly with farmers to ensure they are growing viable, healthy crops, and that coffee farming remains sustainable.
Read more on the cold-brew explosion at retail in a recent NACS Magazine “Category Close-Up” on the coffee category, and in the September NACS Magazine feature, “Caffeine’s Next Coming.”