Coffee Kiosks Brew at Haggen

CAROL ANGRISANI

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — Haggen's popular TerraVida coffee may no longer be sold fresh at in-store cafes, but the retailer remains committed to the corporate brand with in-store kiosks, 12-ounce bags and bulk options.

The 8-by-8-foot TerraVida Coffee Express kiosks, in tests at three of the retailer's Top Food & Drug stores in Redmond, Federal Way and Kent, Wash., since December, sell about a dozen different coffee drinks, from regular coffee to flavored espresso to iced mochas.

Prices for a 12-ounce serving range from $1.30 for brewed coffee to $2.60 for a mocha. Haggen runs occasional promotions such as “$1 Mocha Fridays.”

Haggen operated TerraVida cafes in three of its stores for the past five years, but closed them in March. The retailer has not said why it closed the cafes.

In addition to the kiosks, which are in different stores than where the cafes were located, TerraVida is also sold in bulk and 12-ounce bags on the store shelves in all 33 Haggen stores.

“While we closed the cafes, the TerraVida coffee has been very well received,” chain spokeswoman Becky Skaggs told SN. “TerraVida coffee sales are doing quite well.”

The retailer has also branched out to other branded products, including TerraVida Coffee Premier All Natural Ice Cream.

Exclusive to Haggen, TerraVida is roasted to Haggen's specifications by Tony's Coffees & Teas, a Bellingham roaster.

“It's a great-tasting coffee that's locally produced,” Skaggs said.

Haggen is the only area retailer to have its own coffee brand, and manage the bean selection, roasting process and flavor profiles, according to Haggen's website.

“Haggen works with our coffee buyer to select the types of beans they want,” according to Matt Bunn, northwest sales manager, Tony's.

TerraVida blends contain beans from all the major coffee-growing regions in the world, Bunn said.

According to Haggen's website, “Our buyers have hand-selected coffee grown in the best coffee regions of the world from Africa, South America, Central America to Asia.”

The kiosks let buyers customize their selection based on everything from grind and water temperature to brewing time.

While coffee from kiosks doesn't compare to those prepared by a barista in a full-service coffeehouse, new technologies have greatly improved the product quality.

“It's not like years ago when you push a button and a paper cup falls out and it's filled with some nasty-looking brown beverage,” Bunn said. “These machines are sophisticated with how they brew, and produce a quality coffee.”

Concordia Coffee Systems, a Bellevue, Wash., coffee equipment maker, supplied the kiosks.

Robin Mooney, Concordia's national account manager, said the kiosks are especially beneficial for supermarkets that have low foot traffic and don't need a full-service in-store cafe.

“It allows supermarkets to provide easy access to a cafe-quality product,” Mooney told SN.

Concordia has made self-serve espresso kiosks for Starbucks Coffee Co. through its Seattle's Best Coffee label. The kiosks reportedly were installed last year in Albertsons stores and other food stores in Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland and Tennessee.