NORTHFIELD, Ill. – Homecoming week at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) brought a Tiger win on the football field and the debut of “Mizzou Mocha” at dining facilities – both garnering student acclaim.
General Foods International (GFI) cappuccino partnered with Mizzou Campus Dining Services to rename an existing GFI cappuccino flavor to “Mizzou Mocha” and rebrand equipment and promotional materials to better connect with the dining customers.
“It’s really, really good,” said Conor Ginos, a first-year student studying finance and journalism of the Mizzou Mocha, as he sipped a free sample at the launch party.
To celebrate the launch of the new co-branded flavor, GFI visited one of Mizzou’s four all-you-care-to-eat residential dining locations to hand out free giveaways and talk with students during their lunch break, while Mizzou Campus Dining Services got the word out via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
“It was a hit with many students commenting favorably on the taste and name of the new cappuccino,” said Sandy Perley, Mizzou Campus Dining Services Purchasing Coordinator. “We’re really excited about offering Mizzou Mocha at several on-campus dining facilities year-round, as a signature coffee beverage. The students love Mizzou-branded offerings.”
Keeping students satisfied and their dollars on-campus is paramount, especially as students have increased their reliance on off-campus restaurant and retail locations. Nationally, more than three-fifths of students’ food and beverage (63%) is purchased at off-campus restaurant and retail locations. This proportion has increased 6% since 2009, when 57% of students’ food and beverage purchases were sourced off campus.[1]
By offering unique specialty food and beverages, colleges are enticing students to purchase meal plans and spend their discretionary dollars on-campus. Specialty coffee drinks are the perfect attraction, as evidenced by their ever-growing popularity among Millennials[2] and number-one showing among non-alcoholic drinks on Top 50 College and University Menus.[3]
Of course the need to create unique, appealing menu items is true for all foodservice operations – especially for Millennials. Millennials, more than any other generational group, enjoy trying different foods and increasingly select restaurants that feature new or innovative flavors.[4] Colleges and universities face the challenge of competing with off-campus operations that are constantly innovating to appeal to this group. Creating specialty branded offerings can engage Millennials and entice the 43% of students who report that they are equally likely to buy coffee on- or off-campus[5] to show their school spirit with an on-campus coffee purchase.
To customize* a GFI cappuccino flavor for your college or foodservice operation, talk to your Kraft sales representative today! Visit kraftfoodservice.com/GFI to order FREE merchandising for GFI cappuccino flavors.
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ABOUT KRAFT FOODS GROUP
Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: KRFT) is one of North America’s largest consumer packaged food and beverage companies, with annual revenues of more than $18 billion. With the spirit of a startup and the soul of a powerhouse, Kraft has an unrivaled portfolio of products in the beverages, cheese, refrigerated meals and grocery categories. The company’s iconic brands include Kraft, Capri Sun, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, Lunchables, Maxwell House, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Planters and Velveeta. Kraft’s 22,500 employees in the U.S. and Canada have a passion for making the foods and beverages people love. Kraft is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 and the NASDAQ-100 indices. For more information, visit www.kraftfoodsgroup.com and www.facebook.com/kraft.
ABOUT KRAFT FOODSERVICE
Kraft Foodservice is a division of Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: KRFT), one of North America’s largest consumer packaged food and beverage company. Kraft Foodservice provides a diverse portfolio of brands, marketing and sales expertise and resources to the U.S. foodservice industry. Visit www.Kraftfoodservice.com for more information.
[1] Technomic, The College & University Consumer Trend Report, 2013
[2] National Coffee Association, National Coffee Drinking Trends Study, 2014
[3] Technomic, The College & University Consumer Trend Report, 2013
[4] Technomic, The Generational Consumer Trend Report, 2014
[5] Technomic, The College & University Consumer Trend Report, 2013
* Some restrictions apply.
Source: Kraft Foodservice
