TORONTO — Tim Hortons has introduced its new custom Tims FreshBrewer technology to optimize coffee consistency, as well as a new paper cup and a new lid that will reduce spills.
“Extensive research shows guests love Tim Hortons coffee, but it needs to be served more consistently. We’re excited to evolve our coffee-brewing technology, keeping our always-brewed-fresh-every-20-minutes promise to guests and delivering our iconic taste in every cup,” says Kevin West, head of Coffee Excellence at Tim Hortons. “From the coffee in a guest’s cup, to the cup and lid itself, we’re working to ensure every element of the coffee experience at Tim Hortons is superior across our almost 4,000 restaurants in Canada.”
The company conducted a series of market tests over the last three years as restaurant owners and guests worked closely with engineers to develop a more-consistent brewing technology. The FreshBrewer technology is expected to improve consistency from cup to cup.
Packaging has also been a strong focus for the company over the last several years. With design, function and sustainability in mind, the new cup has been created to maintain the brand’s visual identity.
The new lid is made from polypropylene — a material that is 100-per-cent recyclable — and features a raised dome and tabbed closure that will improve coffee flow. The lid will also feature a maple leaf embossed on its surface.
“We took more than two years to develop the new lid — conducting 12 research studies, serving over 30-million beverages and working with thousands of guests to help us design it,” says Alex Macedo, president of Tim Hortons. “Our guests have been asking for a better lid for years and we took the time to research and develop an improved lid that not just reduces spills but has a reduced carbon footprint. Guest feedback on our new lid is overwhelmingly positive with a nine-to-one preference over our old lid.”
Tim Hortons will execute a substantial marketing and advertising effort to better communicate its goal to guests in Canada. It will also introduce a new reusable cup that will be available this summer — starting at $1.99 — and continue to test a more environmentally friendly paper cup, as well as a new strawless lid for iced coffee and wooden stir sticks.
“Coffee is the very DNA of the Tim Hortons brand — we’ve taken our time to ensure we’ve gotten these initiatives right for our loyal guests,” says Macedo. “This will be a long journey, but it’s the right journey to take. As Canada’s coffee leader, we’re proud to spearhead this behaviour change toward using reusable cups.”
