This article is sponsored by our partner, Peace Coffee.
In cafes and restaurants across America, a quiet revolution is brewing—or rather, not brewing. As consumer preferences move towards cold coffee drinks and rapid service, many purveyors are turning to an unexpected ally to expedite service while keeping quality standards high: coffee concentrates.
Concentrates have been around for decades—combine a concentrate with water or milk, and you have a drink that’s fast to assemble, straightforward for baristas of all skill levels to make, and great for developing new mixed drinks. But there’s excitement around the latest generation of concentrates, which are built around ease of use but focus more on extracting flavor and improving quality.
As the coffee industry begins to embrace and recognize the potential of coffee concentrates, Minnesota-based Peace Coffee has debuted its new Premium Concentrate, which promises to bridge the gap between convenience and craft. The product, created exclusively for use in commercial settings, is cold brew coffee designed to be diluted to a 1:7 ratio (one part concentrate to seven parts liquid), and is shelf-stable for nine months.
Peace Coffee is a B-Corp-certified coffee roastery that’s been sourcing and roasting coffee since 1996. We spoke to Marc Hubble, the company’s VP of business development, to learn more about why now is the right time to branch into coffee concentrates, how Peace Coffee incorporates its sustainable ethos into its new product, and why concentrates can unlock new potential for all types of commercial food businesses.
Peace Coffee is known for sourcing coffee from farmers around the world. What kind of coffee did you use for your Premium Concentrate?
Peace Coffee’s Premium Concentrate is wildly delicious! We craft it with our smooth and chocolatey Yeti Cold Brew Blend, [which is a whole-bean offering on our website]. Yeti Cold Brew is a balanced medium roast blend of organic and fair trade beans from our partner farmer cooperatives in Nicaragua, Peru, and Guatemala.
Concentrates are becoming an increasingly common way to make and serve coffee in cafes. Why do you think that is?
Our partners—and the people they serve—all want choice. A concentrate allows businesses to offer multiple coffee drink options that are on-trend and affordable. And our Premium Concentrate is not only great-tasting, but saves time, space, and resources—a win all around!
What settings beyond the traditional cafe would derive value from concentrates?
Cold coffee beverages are what most college students and young professionals are ordering these days. It’s a great option for restaurants, colleges, corporate campuses, and coworking spaces, and for anyone operating outside typical coffee-drinking hours or spaces that don’t need a robust coffee program. Our Premium Concentrate allows a restaurant or food business to quickly and easily deliver great coffee if someone is looking for an afternoon pick-me-up or a coffee with dessert.
Our concentrate is perfect for espresso martinis, which are back and wildly popular. Operators can expand their cocktail/mocktail menu and use the concentrate for a variety of drinks, from classics like the old fashioned or a Manhattan to a caffeinated flavor boost in a boozy shake.
Most people probably think of coffee concentrates as a convenient substitute for cold brew. Do you see potential for concentrates to be used in place of espresso?
Our Premium Concentrate can be utilized as a ready-to-use espresso option. This provides the operator with a quick and easy solution to offer a variety of iced espresso-based beverages without additional equipment or operational complexity.
What are some of the most creative ways you’ve seen people use the concentrate?
Our coffee concentrate is a perfect addition to smoothies. We’ve been making one called “Personal Best,” which uses our concentrate blended with a frozen banana, nut butter, oat milk, and maple syrup. It’s a great recovery drink after any high-energy activity. Or really anytime!
Do you have a favorite concentrate-based coffee drink?
I enjoy espresso tonics—they are refreshing and a great non-alcoholic happy hour option. In fact, you should make one now. It’s just tonic water over ice, topped with a bit of coffee concentrate to taste, and an orange- or lemon-peel twist. Magic.
Peace has a history of pushing coffee sustainability forward—how are you preserving that mission in this new concentrate?
Our shelf-stable, ready-to-use concentrate is made with our organic, fair trade, sustainable, and ethically sourced coffee. As Peace Coffee continues to grow nationally, we’re bringing our legacy of sustainability, social justice, and equity along for the ride. We’re proud of the business we’ve brewed so far and look forward to expanding our socially conscious business model within the global coffee community.
Sponsored by Peace Coffee
Peace Coffee is a coffee roaster based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that specializes in fair trade, certified organic coffees from small-scale grower cooperatives. The company is a wholesale partner to hundreds of cafe, grocery, and foodservice brands.
