Photos: provided to China Daily

Leading international coffee brand Costa Coffee said it will launch a line of ready-to-drink coffee products in China in late March to tap the country's rising ready-to-drink market, part of the coffee chain's attempts to further expand its category.

This is Costa Coffee's first international launch for this category, after releasing ready-to-drink coffee products in the company's home market of the United Kingdom in June 2019.

The launch marks part of the company's multi-category expansion strategy, which was accelerated by the purchase of Costa Coffee by The Coca-Cola Company in 2019.

The coffee house now operates in more than 30 international markets, with over 4,000 coffee shops globally. Costa Coffee now has more than 500 stores in China since it entered the market in 2006.

"China is a priority market of Costa Coffee, and this is one of many exciting ideas to improve and localize the experience we deliver for our Chinese consumers," said Shakir Moin, chief operating officer of Costa International.

"Considering the increasingly busy lifestyles of modern consumers, we are actively expanding our ready-to-drink portfolio to meet the demand for high-quality coffee with convenience, and to cultivate new growth areas in the increasingly competitive global coffee market."

The new line covers two kinds of beverages -- black Americano and classic latte, offering a convenient coffee experience for consumers, Costa Coffee said.

The new drinks are tailor made for Chinese consumers with signature mocha Italian blend coffee beans and reduced sugar and fat content.

Moin said their Chinese research and development team worked hard in partnership with their global master of coffee, Gennaro Pelliccia, over the past few months to create ready-to-drink packages catering to the Chinese palate using Costa's signature blend.

As the United Kingdom's largest coffee chain, Costa Coffee is pursuing a multi-category strategy while simultaneously deepening its expertise in the coffee market, said Costa.

In January 2019, Costa Coffee officially became a member of the Coca-Cola family, and is leveraging Coca-Cola's global market scale and distribution expertise to expedite its development.

At the same time, Costa Coffee's strong position in the coffee sector also provides Coca-Cola a strong platform within the coffee and coffeeshop market, advancing the beverage giant's overall transformation as a total beverage company, according to the company.