Coffee for children? Kiid Coffee takes a functional twist on the morning cup of Joe

Launched in 2022, Kiid Coffee is a naturally sweetened with monk fruit de-caffeinated instant coffee and cacao mix for children, available in caramel, chocolate and original flavors. Additionally, the mix contains 4 grams of fiber and 169 mg of calcium, 40 milligrams of magnesium, 8.5 milligrams of iron and 16.5 micrograms or 660 IU of Vitamin D per 6.5 gram serving.

The idea for making a functional children-friendly coffee beverage came after David Sanborn’s eight-year-old son— the brand's other co-founder — broke his legs one after another in a year.

On consulting a doctor on the incidents, Sanborn learned that many children do not consume the daily recommended amount of Vitamin D, calcium and iron, and daily multivitamins are an insufficient source for these nutrients.

Children between the ages of 4 to 8 need 1000 milligrams of calcium, and children between the ages of 9 to 18 need 1300 milligrams of calcium per day, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services​. The Mayo Clinic also recommends​ children ages 4 to 8 have 10 milligrams of iron a day, with children ages 9 to 13 to have 8 milligrams of irons and those ages 14-18 and girls take 15 milligrams per day.

Half of US children ages 1 to 5 years and 70% of children ages 6 to 10 years have a vitamin D deficiency, which can impair bone mass development and height, according to the National Institutes of Health​.  

“After a lot of research, I started developing a new food plan for my son because after simply adding up his total [micronutrient] intake ... he was not really getting [enough] calcium or vitamin D or iron,” Sanborn said.

Navigating formulating challenges to launch a children-friendly coffee

In developing his son’s tailored food plan, Sanborn also created a de-caffeinated beverage that would help his son consume the daily recommended of micronutrients, and the drink became “his morning coffee.”

After drinking the coffee for a couple of months, his son started talking to his friends about the beverage, which resulted in their parents asking about this coffee. Given the neighborhood buzz, this gave the father and son team an idea to create a business around the beverage.

"If there is one thing about creating a food brand today is ... there [are] a lot of channels [and] ways to get out there, but the reality is if you cannot create some sort of conversation — if you cannot get some sort of organic reach — you could spend a fortune before you will get anywhere,” Sanborn noted.

Leveraging his former CPG experience in pet food, David Sanborn found a vitamin company that could create the blend of vitamins he wanted. However, formulating products with high levels of magnesium and iron can be tricky from a taste perspective, David Sanborn noted.

“The taste is terrible. Magnesium and iron do not taste good. ... We do say mix Kiid Coffee with milk, so milk brings ... lots of flavors in [and] usually some sugars in, which also help to blend the flavor together,” said David Sanborn.