McDonalds will sell bagged coffee directly to customers starting next year, taking the restaurant chain away from its famous golden arches and into a number of retail chains and supermarkets.
The company announced the new sales strategy on Wednesday, saying it will start test selling a variety of packaged ground and whole-bean coffee bags as well as single-cup services at a select amount of retail locations .
McDonald’s offered few other details of its bagged coffee, but the move seems to follow a pattern the company set in Canada. McDonald’s started to sell McCafe bagged coffee in America’s neighbor last year, with a 12 ounce bag selling for $7.
The move to sell bagged coffee comes just a few days after McDonald’s announced it would be ending a relationship with one of its longest-standing partners. The restaurant chain announced that it was splitting with ketchup distributor Heinz after more than 40 years together.
The move came due to a conflict in the ketchup company’s leadership. Heinz is led by Bernardo Hees, the former Burger King CEO.
“As a result of recent management changes at Heinz, we have decided to transition our business to other suppliers over time,” the company announced in a statement .
‘We have spoken to Heinz and plan to work together to ensure a smooth and orderly transition,” the company added, saying the transition away from Heinz will take place over a period of time
The change will have a negligible effect in the United States, where McDonald’s only partners with Heinz in two markets.
McDonald’s bagged coffee could eventually be spread to other locations, but the company did not yet offer an expansion plan. It is working with Kraft Foods Group Inc. to distribute its variety of bagged coffee.
