Global grocery

A pop-up freezer shop to fight waste

GLOBAL In September, U.K. grocer Sainsbury’s GROCERY launched a pop-up in London, aimed at fighting food waste. Described News and ideas by the retailer as a “first-of-its kind” walk-in freezer store, “Sainsfreeze” from the world was packed with foods customers would normally buy fresh—eggs, herbs, fish, of food retail meat, baked goods—but that were all frozen in innovative ways and given away for free. The aim was to show visitors to the pop-up how to freeze foods they usually wouldn’t think to, and avoid waste while also saving money. Sainsbury’s says the items on display at Sainsfreeze were selected based on research revealing the food items most commonly thrown away by Brits. Sainsbury’s has committed to halving food waste across its operations by 2030. Deliveroo gets physical

ALDI’S NEW ECO STORE

Discount chain Aldi has unveiled what it is calling an eco-concept store in the town of Royal Leamington Spa, in central England. The new store is designed to significantly reduce carbon consumption and cut overall energy demand by 57%, compared to a normal Aldi store. Among the store’s sustainable features: timber fibre insulation, a partial green roof, solar panels, chiller doors to reduce energy consumption and a parking lot with dedicated electric vehicle charging ports with capacity to expand as demand grows. To help its shoppers “reduce, reuse and recycle,” Aldi is piloting several plastic reduction initiatives at the store including a refill fixture dispensing package-free nuts and coffee (consumers can use their own containers or free FSCcertified paper bags). And a “hard to recycle” unit allows customers to recycle items like coffee pods, medicine packets, batteries and cosmetics packaging.

Aldi says the store will be a testing ground for the retailer and if it proves successful, it may roll out the concept to other stores across the United Kingdom.

U.K. rapid delivery giant Deliveroo recently launched its first bricksand-mortar grocery store, in partnership with grocery retailer Morrisons. The Deliveroo HOP store in London offers three ways to shop: customers can walk in and order from a kiosk; order through the Deliveroo app and pick up the order at the store; or have the order delivered “within minutes.” The shop offers more than 1,750 grocery items from Morrisons’ popular product ranges.

ASDA EXPRESS

Known for its supercentres and supermarkets, U.K. grocer Asda is thinking smaller with its newest format. The retailer has announced plans to open its first two standalone Asda Express convenience stores this year. The smaller-format stores will be in “convenient” residential locations and carry some 3,000 products across groceries and food to go. Asda says it plans to open another 30 Asda Express locations as it “steps up its presence” in the convenience market—a sector forecast to grow by double-digits in the United Kingdom over the next five years.

Lidl’s smart refill station

Lidl is testing a “state-of-art” laundry detergent refill station at three of its U.K. locations. Customers pick up a pouch from the station and follow simple, touchscreen instructions to select their detergent and quickly fill the pouch. Each time a pouch is refilled, Lidl says 59 grams of plastic is saved and each pouch contains a special chip so Lidl and Algramo, the Chilean startup providing the tech for the stations, can track how many times each pouch is refilled and credit customers with 20p (about 30 cents) for refilling. The discount retailer says the compact stations optimize shelf space, taking up space equivalent to 66 single-use bottles, but with the potential to fill 245 pouches, increasing capacity by almost 300%. CG

coffee

Consumers keen on sustainability and health benefits

These last few years have proven that Canada’s love of coffee wasn’t dampened even by a global pandemic. In fact, Canada is the only non-European country listed in this year’s top 10 coffee-consuming countries in the world! According to Nielsen, the Canadian coffee category is worth $1.46 billion, and data from global market research firm Mintel shows that 88% of Canadians shoppers bought retail coffee in the past year. The research also shows that 61% of people say coffee is an important part of their daily routine and 41% would pay more for a higher-quality cup of it too. Here’s a look at what’s driving all this java love and what coffee trends are gaining favour in the foreseeable future.

Social responsibility/sustainability top of mind

Millennials and Gen Zs are especially vocal about their desire for brands to use ethical and sustainable practices—and coffee is no exception. Coffee brands like Lavazza support sustainability projects in coffeeproducing countries, which in turn promotes social and environmental development in these communities. “Through its iTierra Foundation, Lavazza supports 130,000 coffee growers through 31 projects in 19 countries,” says Lauren Laventure, Trade Marketing Manager at Sofina Foods Inc., which distributes Lavazza. “This has been the core of the business for a long time, and these projects are improving living conditions in these communities while also promoting entrepreneurship and economic autonomy.”

Coffee drinkers are getting younger

According to the latest US National Coffee Data Trends report issued by the National Coffee Association, a record number of young adults (aged 18-24) are drinking coffee in 2022, with 51% reporting that they’d had some kind of coffee within the past day. Industry experts say the declining popularity of soft drinks in favour of ready to drink coffee is helping drive this trend among the younger set.

Alternative milks gaining popularity

With a growing number of consumers going vegan, or dealing with dietary and health concerns, coffee drinkers are expected to keep turning toward non-dairy milk alternatives. Plant-based milks continuing to gain favour include almond, oat, soy, coconut, hemp and macadamia nut. According to Grand View Research data, the U.S. market-size value for non-dairy milks is expected to more than double in the next three years.

Add-ins to boost health and well-being

With society’s ongoing focus on better health, more and more coffee drinkers are also looking for healthy additives to their regular cup of joe. Whether its collagen to improve skin complexion and joint pain, or turmeric and cinnamon for their antioxidant properties, coffee is becoming the perfect vessel for additives that can boost metabolism and promote better health.

Product Spotlight

Mild and fruity with organic Arabica beans hand-picked from Africa, Central and South America, the brand supports the training of coffee producers in agricultural techniques to manage the effects of climate change. Made from organic coffee beans from Peru and South America, the brand supports reforestation in degraded areas of the Rain Forest.

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