New England Coffee Celebrates 100 Years

Malden, Mass. — Reily Foods Co.’s New England Coffee turns 100 years old in 2016. To mark the occasion, the brand launched a yearlong “Extraordinary People” campaign that includes a “#YouAreExtraordinary” sampling and engagement tour visiting more than 300 locations, including coffee shops, fire stations and hospitals throughout New England.Founded in 1916 by two brothers and a cousin delivering coffee by horse and wagon to Boston restaurants, New England Coffee today offers its products nationwide in some 10,000 coffee shops, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores as well as online. In 2013, New England Coffee was purchased by New Orleans-based Reily Foods.The target market of the campaign is anyone who serves or drinks the brand’s blends, whether in restaurants and coffee shops or at home, according to Melissa Gilreath, brand manager. The #YouAreExtraordinary tour features a Fiat customized with a large New England Coffee mug on top. Brand ambassadors hand out free coffee samples, coupons, gift baskets and other branded items, including coffee tumblers, scoops, coupons, mints and coasters.Photos captured during the tour are posted to an “Extraordinary People Gallery” on the brand’s website. Consumers are invited to nominate special individuals and post photos to the gallery or New England Coffee’s Facebook, Instagram or Twitter accounts using the hashtag #YouAreExtraordinary. That gives them a chance to win free coffee for a year.While New England Coffee would not provide details, Gilreath says the “Extraordinary People” campaign is the largest and most integrated it has executed to date. The effort encompasses radio, digital and print advertising, FSI coupons, a redesigned website and a social media initiative as well as a coffee table book and short film that describe the brand’s history and culture. A birthday celebration, open to the public, will be held in September near the brand’s headquarters in Malden.Rice McVaney Communications, Hingham, Massachusetts, helped create the campaign.In honor of this yearlong celebration, New England Coffee also introduced a new blend: Centennial Reserve. It is available in merchandising displays of 48 bags or a split display with the brand’s popular Breakfast Blend (24 Breakfast Blend and 24 Centennial Reserve bags). The displays rolled out recently and are receiving a strong response from retailers, Gilreath says.

New England Coffee Celebrates 100 Years

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