[Video] Explorer concentrates on creating a sustainable and flavorful cold brew

30-Nov-2023 - Last updated on 30-Nov-2023 at 20:24 GMT

Addressing convenience, value, sustainability and of course, flavor, Explorer’s line of cold brew coffee and chai concentrates offer consumers a variety of caffeine levels to personalize their coffee experience. Explorer’s founder, Cason Crane, sat down with FoodNavigator-USA to talk about how he partnered with global coffee connoisseurs to develop concentrates from bean to bottle.

Interest in the $1.4 billion coffee concentrate market catapulted during the pandemic when at-home baristas were looking for convenient ways to explore different flavors and formats to suit different usage occasions. Whereas from a sustainability angle, coffee concentrates have the potential to reduce waste by eliminating the need for bean grinding and over brewing common in other formats.

Brooklyn-based Explorer launched in 2020 with Cason Crane at the helm, whose experiences as a global explorer continues shaping the brand’s business strategy and sustainability initiatives.

Crane, who is credited as being the first openly LGBT mountaineer to climb The Seven Summits, worked with a team of global coffee connoisseurs to develop its fair-trade and organic bottled coffee concentrates.

Explorer’s team of tastemakers include David Donde, founder of Truth Coffee and co-founder and inaugural chair of Specialty Coffee Association of Southern Africa; Dalia Jaffal, co-founder of Lebanon’s first specialty coffee company, Kalei Coffee Co.; and Mikael Jasin, founder of SSG Coffee Company, winner of the Indonesian Barista Championship in 2019 and 2020 and the first Indonesian in the final round of the World Barista Championship, placing fourth in 2019.

Customizable caffeine consumption

Explorer taps into consumers’ evolving usage occasions by offering varied caffeine levels and flavor profiles to suit consumers energy preferences throughout the day.

Served hot or cold, Explorer offers four different caffeine levels for its coffee concentrates and three chai concentrates, all packaged in brown 32 ounce glass bottles. The coffee concentrates include:

- The Classic: Standard Caffeine (100mg)

- The Maverick: Extra Caffeine (150mg)

- The Seeker: Half Caffeine (50mg)

- The Daydreamer: 99.9% Swiss Water decaf (0-2mg)

Explorer’s portfolio also offers chai concentrates with three specific caffeine levels, including:

- The Magician: Honey Chai (45mg of caffeine and includes cold brewed organic lyerpadi black tea, organic honey, organic spices and organic lemon juice

- The Alchemist: Dirty Spice Chai (90mg of caffeine) and includes cold brewed lyerpadi black tea and organic Ethiopian coffee, organic honey, organic spices and organic lemon juice

- The Idealist: Chamomile Spice Chai (0mg of caffeine) and includes cold brewed organic chamomile (water and chamomile), organic honey, organic spices and organic lemon juice