‘Great Coffee’ A Pleasure, Not A Grind

That morning jolt of hot Joe helps most of us make it through the workday, at least until lunchtime. However, for the thousands upon thousands of professional drivers who call Love’s Travel Stops their second home on the road, a great cup of coffee isn’t merely a perk, it’s a must.

Since May, we’ve had a Great Coffee campaign directed toward our My Love Rewards customers. The tagline is: “Great coffee is even better when it’s free. Always free with your My Love Rewards card and a 50-plus gallon refill.”

Helping drivers save money on drinks is significant, a big-time differentiator in the marketplace.

However, category buyer Bryan Street says the feedback his team has received indicates that customers are impressed not only with the current coffee promotion; they’re impressed with the taste of Love’s Java Amore brand.

“Drivers we’ve heard from have loved the coffee,” Street said.

He pointed to the first of two limited-time offers for the summer, a flavor called Costa Rican Canopy, somewhere between our Dark Roast and Brazilian Primo standard offerings.  It’s a medium roast coffee that comes from the mountainous region outside San José, Costa Rica, well known for its high acidity and smooth body.

Not to sound too much like how an oenophile talks about wine, but Costa Rican Canopy is fragrant with chocolate and fig notes, according to S&D Coffee, which produces this brew for Love’s.

“The trends we’re seeing are that customers expect a great value, but they also expect great coffee. There’s no substituting for great taste,” Street said. “Now they want more options, and we’re here to provide them.”

In August, coffee connoisseurs will be treated to second limited-time offer at stores across the country. This flavor is called Bogota Sunrise, a light-to-medium roast of Colombian coffee with crisp, tangy notes and a sweet caramel finish.

“We had never done a coffee LTO,” Street said, referring to the latest limited-time offer. “But we really wanted the feedback on these newest flavors, and what we found is that our customers love having new options.”

Drivers are digging the cappuccino, too, including Jamaican Me Crazy, a specialty brew that is an island blend of caramel, vanilla with hints of delectable mocha coffee liqueur flavor. Again this year, just in time for fall and starting in September, we’ll be offering Pumpkin Spice cappuccino, which is always a big hit with all stripes of coffee cravers.  That treat deserves another as a holiday cappuccino will be available during December and January.