What’s in a Name?

The thinking behind Peet’s relaunch of Café Freddo as Javiva, altering its sweetness and consistency to entice Millennials.

Peet’s Coffee & Tea recently replaced its venerable Caffé Freddo with a new beverage called Javiva. Why?

Senior Vice President and marketing chief Tyler Ricks said the company decided the brand name Freddo inadequately described the product as a blended-iced coffee beverage, a growing area of Millennial coffee consumption. Ricks also said Freddo was too hard to pronounce. Finally, Ricks said Freddo lacked a “coffee-forward flavor” and a creamy “mouthfeel,” perhaps most notably lagging behind its competitors in sales.

“It’s been great for us,” he said. “We are not quite seeing a doubling in the business, but it is very, very close for us.”

But aside from the name, what’s the difference? Ricks said the changes include the drink’s basic coffee base, creamier texture, and overall “flavor balance.” Customers also can now get a small Javiva, whereas the smallest Freddo size was a medium. Meanwhile, the new drink—made in a fancier blender with more accurate measurements—is sweeter, saltier, and richer than its predecessor.

Here’s how they stack up, sans whipped cream.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEET’S COFFEE & TEA

Medium Caffe Freddo

 

Flavor: Used Peet’s Major Dickason’s Blend. “Conceived by one of the first Peetniks and refined by Mr. Peet, this premier blend is our all-time bestseller” with flavor notes characterized as “rich, smooth, and complex, with a very full body.”

Consistency: Blended but still slightly icy.

Calories: 210

Fat: 3 grams

Sodium: 190 milligrams

Carbs: 42 grams

Sugars: 40 grams

Calcium: 18 percent

Sweetness: More on the icy side and not particularly sweet.

Name: Italian for “cold,” which conjures up visions of cafegoers sipping through straws at cafés on the banks of the Italian Riviera.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PEET’S COFFEE & TEA

Medium Coffee Javiva

Flavor: Incorporates the Baridi Iced Coffee Blend. “Artfully crafted to enjoy on ice, this blend of bold, juicy East African coffees is refreshingly crisp,” and is “inherently sweet & aromatic with a clean finish.”

Consistency: Smoother, like a high-end milkshake.

Calories: 270

Fat: 4 grams

Sodium: 250 milligrams

Carbs: 55 grams

Sugars: 53 grams

Calcium: 26 percent

Sweetness: Sweeter than before, reminiscent of one competitor’s “Frappucino.”

Name: Combines “java” for coffee with “viva” for life. Chosen from among 500 considered, including “Frio.” Javiva combines Indonesia intrigue with a little Western familiarity.