LOCAL BUSINESSES

​Summit Coffee Co. will introduce the highest-quality instant coffee on the market at the Outdoor Retail + Snow Show this January in Denver, Colorado. The debut of Summit’s instant coffee highlights their activation at the 2020 OR Show, which will also include a full café and espresso bar in Venture Out. Summit’s foray into the instant coffee market continues the brand’s intention to provide its award-winning products to more consumers in new ways. The product will be available nationwide starting in March, through Summit’s online coffee shop and select retail outlets.

Summit’s instant lineup will feature coffees sourced through their new “Relationship Coffee” certification program, ensuring ultimate transparency and responsibility in the supply chain. Summit, a certified organic roaster and wholesaler based in North Carolina, has aligned with San Francisco-based Sudden Coffee on the manufacturing process. The propriety brew method lets us capture complex flavor notes without the bitterness instant coffee is known for. After freeze drying to preserve fragile aromatic molecules, our coffee is finally packaged in air-tight, recyclable tubes ensuring a 12-month shelf life.

“It’s our objective to meet people where they are, and provide them the best coffee possible to support their daily needs, regardless of what their adventure looks like,” said Brian Helfrich, CEO of Summit Coffee. “The manufacturing process ensures that we’ll have the best instant coffee available, while making our product accessible in a more convenient way. This won’t replace the experience of visiting our cafés, or making fresh coffee every day at home. But this product is designed for people who care about great coffee, at times when it is traditionally harder to access.

At the OR Show, January 29-31 at the Denver Convention Center, Summit also will partner with alternative milk manufacturer Oatly for several activations, including a daily “Affogato Happy Hour” feature Summit’s espresso and Oatly’s new dairy-free ice cream.

Summit Coffee’s breadth of business includes coffee importing, roasting, and wholesale distribution, in addition to operating multiple cafés and maintaining franchising opportunities. Summit has had partnerships with mountaineers Conrad Anker, Erik Weihenmayer, and the late Alex Lowe. In 2019, Summit collaborated with Runner’s World Magazine at the Boston Marathon, which they will host again in 2020. Furthermore, Summit owners Brian and Tim Helfrich in 2015 established Team Summit Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that helps provide summer opportunities for all children in the Charlotte, NC, area.

For media inquiries, product samples, or to schedule a meeting at the show (booth VO620-SL) please contact Adam Bratton ([email protected]) or Brian Helfrich ([email protected]).