Costa Coffee has announced Ronan Keating as its first ‘Director of Love’ | Photo credit: Costa Coffee

Subscribe to The Weekly Coffee Dose for the latest World Coffee Portal news updates.

Costa Coffee says it best with new Director of Love 
 

Costa Coffee has launched a new campaign with pop star Ronan Keating, who has become the UK coffee chain’s first ‘Director of Love’. Costa Coffee said the former Boyzone singer would use his ‘prowess as a national heartthrob to spread love across the UK’ as it embarks upon a roll-out of free coffee giveaways across the country. As part of the collaboration, Keating will tour Costa Coffee stores across the UK to help consumers ‘re-connect over a Costa coffee’.  
 

Oatly dishes out Thanksgiving support
 

Oatly has launched a special hotline to provide support for plant-based consumers struggling with ‘heavily meat and dairy-based' Thanksgiving celebrations. The Oatly Emotional Support Hotline For Plant-Based Eaters offers consumers a range of conversational tools, including positive affirmations, statistics, and even ‘a blank audio void in which to scream’. The oatmilk maker also believes the marketing launch could direct dinner conversations towards the climate-friendly and dietary benefits of plant-based food. World Coffee Portal research found that half of US industry leaders surveyed in the Project Café USA 2023 report believe dairy-free to be the health-based trend with the most longevity, consistent with the promotion of milk alternatives by leading coffee chains across the country.     
 

Football Australia kicks off World Cup with coffee 

Football Australia staff have flown a barista to Doha to serve coffee to the country’s Socceroos throughout the World Cup in Qatar. Operated by Alexia Ralevski, the team café in Australia's training base at the Aspire Academy is importing coffee beans from Australian specialty coffee roaster Toby’s Estate. Ralevski said she is making 80 coffees a day, adding that some of the players have helped work in the café between training sessions. The Australian Olympic team introduced a similar concept at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. 
 

Absolut shakes up fashion world with espresso martini handbag 

Premium alcohol brand Absolut has collaborated with New York-based designer Nikolas Bentel to produce a limited-edition handbag in the shape of an espresso martini. Selling online for $199, Matt Foley, Vice President of Marketing for Absolut, said the product ‘demonstrates the power of mixing different people, perspectives and cocktails’. The launch is part of a wider Born to Mix marketing campaign, which Absolut says is focused on bringing diverse people together to create a ‘world that is more open, free and fun’. 
 

Peet’s Coffee gives ski resort café a trial run 

Peet’s Coffee has launched a pop-up café at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin, China. The site is located within an outlet of outdoor apparel company Arc'teryx, which will also collaborate with the California-based coffee chain on a canned RTD coffee range. Peet’s Coffee has also launched beverages exclusively for the Beidahu pop-up store: a Coconut Snow Mocha and Wild Lemon coldbrew.