Super Coffee, known for their strong brews and bold flavors, was an up-and-coming coffee brand that seemed to disappear from the market just as quickly as they arrived. With their products no longer lining store shelves, many fans have wondered – is Super Coffee still in business?
The Rise of Super Coffee
Super Coffee was founded in 2009 by Kitu Life co-founders Jim DeCicco and Jordan DeCicco in New Jersey. The brand focused on creating highly caffeinated coffee beverages that were made with quality Arabica coffee beans and organic additives like milk protein isolate for extra protein. Super Coffee gained popularity when it entered into partnerships with retailers like 7-Eleven, Circle K, and Walmart to distribute their signature coffee drinks.
The unique selling point of Super Coffee was its extra strength – their coffee drinks contained up to 200mg of natural caffeine sourced from green coffee beans. This was significantly higher than traditional brewed coffee or other canned coffee drinks. Super Coffee’s tagline was “powered by natural caffeine” and they marketed their products as a healthier alternative energy source to sugary energy drinks or supplements.
Between 2013-2015, Super Coffee experienced rapid growth as they expanded to over 15,000 stores nationwide. Their convenient on-the-go cans and bottles attracted a loyal following among busy professionals, college students, athletes, and health-conscious consumers looking for a caffeine boost.
Decline and Disappearance
Despite strong initial sales and distribution growth, Super Coffee seemed to disappear from retail shelves in 2016. The exact reasons are unclear, but several factors may have contributed to the downfall of the once-hot coffee brand:
- Increased competition – As Super Coffee grew, larger beverage brands took notice of the success of their high-caffeine cold brew concept. Competitors like Nestle, PepsiCo, and Coca-Cola began releasing their own versions of premium caffeinated coffees.
- Distribution challenges – Scaling distribution to thousands of outlets across the country proved difficult for the young company. Maintaining consistent product supply and prime shelf space likely became problematic.
- Changing consumer preferences – While interest in high-caffeine beverages was rising, some consumers began shying away from highly caffeinated products due to potential health concerns. Regulatory scrutiny on caffeine content in drinks also intensified.
- Limited product range – Super Coffee focused primarily on just 2-3 caffeinated coffee drink products. Lack of innovation in flavors, formulas, and offerings may have led to waning consumer interest.
While the brand expressed intentions to revive the business in 2017, Super Coffee never regained retail availability or consumer attention. For the past several years, the company has seemed to go dormant with very little marketing, social media, or online presence.
Checking for Signs of Life in 2022
Is there any hope that Super Coffee could make a comeback? Let’s investigate any recent signs that the brand is still alive and planning to restart operations:
Official Website
The Super Coffee website (supercoffee.com) is still active but contains very limited information. The homepage simply displays the brand’s logo and slogans but no shop, product details, or company contact info.
Social Media Pages
Super Coffee’s social media pages on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have not been updated since 2016-2017. The accounts remain online but have seen no new posts or activity for 5+ years.
Online Reviews
Recent reviews and discussion of Super Coffee products are nonexistent. The last customer reviews for Super Coffee drinks on sites like Amazon, Influenster, and on blogs are all dated between 2014-2017.
Store Availability
Checking major grocery/convenience chains like 7-Eleven, Circle K, Walmart, and Kroger shows no listings or inventory available for any Super Coffee products. The drinks seem to have been discontinued by retailers.
News Reports
There are no media, press releases, or news reports regarding Super Coffee since mid-2016 indicating any corporate events, reformulation, or rebranding efforts. The company has made no public attempts to restart operations.
Key Reasons Super Coffee Fell Out of Favor
Reviewing Super Coffee’s rapid 5-year rise and fall, these key factors likely led to their business decline and inability to bounce back:
| Issue | Description |
|---|---|
| Limited Product Range | Super Coffee only sold 2 main drinks and did not innovate with new flavors, formulas, or product lines to sustain interest. |
| Distribution Challenges | Scaling to nationwide distribution proved difficult resulting in inventory and restocking issues at retail locations. |
| Stiff Competition | Large beverage corporations quickly copied the high-caffeine cold brew concept and edged out the smaller Super Coffee brand. |
| Health Concerns | Extremely high caffeine content raised some concerns among consumers and regulators causingsales to eventually decline. |
Is There Still a Chance of a Comeback?
Given that Super Coffee has been inactive across all channels for over 5 years now, the chances of a comeback seem very slim. While their drinks initially attracted an enthusiastic following, the appeal was not sustainable long-term. However, it’s still possible the original owners could attempt to relaunch the brand someday.
For Super Coffee to succeed again, they would need to completely rethink their positioning and strategy. Simply re-releasing the same highly caffeinated drinks would likely not work in today’s market. They would need more variety in their product range, better distribution practices, and stronger branding that resonates better with modern consumers.
The Legacy of Super Coffee
Though short-lived, Super Coffee left a mark as an innovator in the coffee and energy drink categories. Some lasting impacts of the brand include:
- Mainstreaming ready-to-drink cold brew coffee – Super Coffee helped popularize chilled canned coffee that is now ubiquitous.
- Pioneering protein-infused coffee – Their use of milk protein isolate helped spark today’s protein coffee drinks segment.
- Inspiring more high-caffeine options – They opened the door for today’s wide array of extra-energizing coffee products.
- Pushing boundaries of caffeine content – Their up-to-200mg caffeine drinks expanded the market’s thinking on how much could be packed into coffee.
While Super Coffee has faded, their influence remains in the DNA of many coffee and energy products available today. The brand took coffee to an extreme, and the industry followed the trail they blazed.
The Verdict: Super Coffee is No Longer Operating
After thoroughly reviewing all possible indicators of commercial activity and signs of life, I can conclusively determine that Super Coffee appears to be defunct. The brand has exhibited no significant operational activity or public presence since 2016-2017.
Barring an unlikely reboot, Super Coffee seems to have run its course as a beverage company. While they were able to capture consumer and retailer interest for a time with their hyper-caffeinated coffee drinks, it simply was not enough to achieve longevity in the highly competitive industry. The Super Coffee brand as we knew it from 2012-2016 appears to be gone for good.
For those who still have fond memories of their coffee, the good news is that many alternatives have risen up to fill the void left by Super Coffee’s departure. Plenty of energizing cold brew options now line shelves, letting caffeine-craving consumers get their fix. So while you may no longer find those familiar bright colored Super Coffee cans, the spirit of their high-octane brew lives on.