Own your beverage innovation with private label syrups

As coffee operators increasingly compete through signature drinks, fast-moving flavour trends and seasonal menus, Simpsons Beverages enables operators to take ownership of one of the most visible parts of the customer experience

Syrups can look like a small operational detail in coffee shops. Behind the counter, they have a huge influence on speed of service, menu innovation, staff training, cost per serve and, perhaps most importantly – how a brand is perceived.

With the explosion of iced beverages, matcha and TikTok-fuelled flavour trends, for a growing number of operators, the question is no longer simply which syrup to buy, but how a signature beverage can truly be owned.

Simpsons Beverages offers a range of bespoke, private-label coffee syrups as an alternative to standard branded products. The fourth-generation family business was established in 1934 and has more than 90 years of experience developing syrups, flavour compounds and beverage solutions for a global customer base.

“Private label is moving from a procurement decision to part of beverage strategy”

“Private label is moving from a procurement decision to part of beverage strategy,” says Caleb Simpson, Managing Director, Simpsons Beverages. “As menus become influenced by iced formats, seasonal launches and changing consumer trends, operators need to innovate at pace without adding complexity behind the counter.

The strongest syrup programmes begin with the commercial and operational brief: the customer experience, target cost per serve, equipment, dosage, staff workflow and rollout requirements.”

Simpsons supports customers from concept through to scale-up, production and supply. In practice, this means creating syrups around an operator’s recipes, equipment, menu, cost targets and processes instead of asking them to adapt to a fixed national brand range.

A market shaped by flavour

For operators, flavoured coffee and beverages are an increasingly important part of menus. Iced and cold ranges act as the perfect canvas for trending flavours, with 93% of UK industry leaders surveyed by World Coffee Portal identifying the category as the primary driver of beverage innovation today.

World Coffee Portal data also shows that caramel, vanilla and salted caramel are the top three hot and cold beverage flavour additions among UK coffee shop consumers surveyed. A further 45% consider syrups as adding the most value to customised iced beverages, ahead of cream, an extra espresso shot or toppings.

Whether year-round favourites, such as caramel or vanilla, seasonal stalwarts like pumpkin spice and gingerbread or the latest trending flavours, such as banana bread, raspberry Danish and brown butter, Simpsons Beverages enables operators to put their own stamp on menu innovation.

While indulgence remains a key motivator behind flavoured drink purchases, more than a fifth of UK consumers surveyed by World Coffee Portal indicate their experience at coffee shops could be improved with healthier ingredients. For a growing number, that means actively reducing sugar intake.

Simpsons has responded with the development of a sugar-free coffee syrup range formulated to maintain the flavour of its full-sugar products. This gives operators the flexibility to create lower-sugar versions of existing drinks without removing the flavour cues customers associate with a signature serve.

“An exclusive formulation gives an operator something a standard branded range cannot”

Catering to growing demand for functional and added-value beverages, Simpsons has expanded its private label capabilities to include functional coffee syrups. The range can incorporate ingredients positioned around areas such as energy, focus and wellbeing, either through flavourless functional shots or flavoured syrups, giving operators another route to develop more differentiated and contemporary drinks.

From concept to counter

For a multi-site coffee chain, the case for private label syrups extends beyond branding. Developing an exclusive syrup range enables operators to control the formulation, flavour profile, dosage and cost per serve while keeping the customer’s attention on the brand.

“An exclusive formulation gives an operator something a standard branded range cannot: ownership of the flavour, serve and brand story. It can also create value across the menu, particularly when one syrup is designed to work in hot, iced and blended applications,” says Simpson.

“Our role is to translate an idea into a consistent, scalable product that performs across every site. When development, procurement, operations and marketing align early, private label becomes more than a supply model; it becomes a platform for faster innovation, stronger differentiation and sustainable growth.”

This approach also supports menu differentiation. An operator can develop a signature caramel latte, a seasonal spiced drink or a limited-time pistachio beverage without using the same syrup brand and flavour combination as its competitors. Exclusive recipes make signature drinks more difficult to imitate, make menus feel more distinctive and strengthen the link between product and brand.

By working directly with a syrups manufacturer like Simpsons Beverages, operators can also avoid the premium attached to established branded syrups and gain more control over margins. A syrup programme designed around a chain’s existing dispensers, recipes, staff workflows and service requirements can reduce operational friction while giving procurement and beverage teams a clearer view of cost and performance.

Simpsons’ in-house product development and design teams support this process. Customers can match an existing syrup, formulate a new flavour or build a range around a seasonal campaign.

The company also offers bespoke label design to match an operator’s existing brand standards. Its premium one-litre PET bottle with an HDPE cap is widely recyclable and designed for commercial and domestic use.

Simpsons’ combination of scale, responsiveness and consistency is designed to support national rollouts, seasonal launches and limited-time offers without making every menu change a long-range procurement exercise.

While many operators are familiar with established syrup brands, growing numbers are recognising the benefits of a private-label approach that delivers differentiation, flexibility and stronger brand ownership.

For Simpsons, the opportunity lies in helping coffee chain decision-makers see that bespoke syrup development can bring procurement, beverage, operations and marketing teams together around one clear brand proposition.

With the right manufacturing partner, operators can achieve distinctive recipes alongside the quality, consistency and production capacity required by a large estate.

Get ready for the next competition front

Flavoured coffee, matcha and refreshers are set to become an increasingly important competition front for afternoon visits, seasonal demand and higher-value drink occasions. To execute them optimally, operators will need to balance indulgence with low-sugar options, creativity with operational simplicity and brand differentiation with reliable supply.

With its central ethos of ‘Your brand. Our syrups’, Simpsons Beverages is uniquely positioned to harness the immense potential of this new era of flavour innovation.

For chains reviewing their syrup range, the opportunity is to develop drinks that are more distinctive, more controllable and more closely connected to the brand customers came to visit. In short, private label enables operators to turn a supporting ingredient into a strategic advantage.