Starbucks May Sign Kraft to Distribute Seattle's Best Coffee
Tuesday, May 4 2004
Published on AllBusiness.com
CHICAGO - Starbucks Corp. is considering a distribution deal with Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods, Inc., under which the latter company would distribute Seattle's Best Coffee to grocery stores nationwide, Reuters reports.
The report quoted a Kraft saleswoman at the FMI show in Chicago and provided no financial details.
Kraft already distributes Starbucks to 20,000 American supermarkets. Seattle-based Starbucks bought the Seattle Coffee Co., which includes the Seattle's Best and Torrefazione Italia Coffee brands, from Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises, Inc. in July. In October 2002 international food company Sodexho awarded AFC a master license to provide specialty coffee beverages to 6,000 food service locations across the United States. Prior to that deal, Seattle Coffee had almost 12,000 wholesale and grocery distribution locations.
The report quoted a Kraft saleswoman at the FMI show in Chicago and provided no financial details.
Kraft already distributes Starbucks to 20,000 American supermarkets. Seattle-based Starbucks bought the Seattle Coffee Co., which includes the Seattle's Best and Torrefazione Italia Coffee brands, from Atlanta-based AFC Enterprises, Inc. in July. In October 2002 international food company Sodexho awarded AFC a master license to provide specialty coffee beverages to 6,000 food service locations across the United States. Prior to that deal, Seattle Coffee had almost 12,000 wholesale and grocery distribution locations.
