Jingchu Net (Hubei Daily Net) News (Correspondent Zhou Miaomiao) On September 1, McDonald’s ’s professional handcrafted coffee brand McCafé announced the launch of the “Milk Iron Series” and completely removed latte from its shelves. "Milk iron" is milkier and thicker than latte. It is a new milk coffee product developed by McCafé based on understanding the coffee tastes of Chinese consumers.
McCafé announced the launch of the "Milk Iron Series", which is milkier and thicker than latte. Picture provided by correspondent
It is reported that "Milk Iron" will be an exclusive star product of McCafé and will be sold in nearly 2,500 McCafé stores across the country for a long time. As a result, McCafé will gain momentum for faster growth and is expected to open approximately 1,000 new stores in 2023, most of which will be located in third-tier cities, bringing cost-effective daily good coffee to more consumers.
"Based on Chinese consumers' preference for milk coffee products and their pursuit of high cost performance, we launched the new blockbuster product 'Milk Iron'. Its coffee bean recipe won the gold medal in an international competition, allowing customers to enjoy great value for money. At the lowest price, you can enjoy milkier and stronger coffee every day,” Zhang Jiayin, CEO of McDonald’s China, said, “In the past two years, McCafé has become the best coffee brand in China. The brand has grown rapidly, with the number of stores expanding from about 800 to nearly 2,500, with more than 10,000 baristas. McCafé has accumulated many fans and will provide customers with more beverage choices when dining at McDonald's. We believe that "Milk Iron" will further expand. Strengthen the product strength of McCafé and continue to attract more Chinese consumers who love coffee. "
McCafé" milk iron series. Photo provided by correspondent
According to reports, the "Milk Iron Series" uses McCafé's exclusive custom-made M10+ blended beans, which are blended from Guatemala, Colombia, Ethiopia, Rwanda coffee beans from four countries. It comes with citrus, Caramel, dark chocolate flavor. This blend won the gold medal in the 2022IIAC International Coffee Tasting Competition and has the "100% Rainforest Alliance" certification. On the basis of upgrading coffee beans, the "Milk Iron" series has changed the extraction method and milk-to-coffee ratio of the original latte products: using a larger amount of powder to extract the coffee essence in the front and middle portions; the milk volume is increased by about 30%, and the flavor is better Balanced and mellow. In order to better cater to the taste needs of different consumers, McCafé provides four milk products, including milk, oat milk, thick coconut milk and thick milk. Consumers can choose the combination according to their taste.
To this end, Du Yansong, general manager of McDonald's Hubei Shaanxi market, answered questions from Hubei media reporters regarding the launch of McCafé "Milk Iron".
Du Yansong, general manager of McDonald’s Hubei and Shaanxi markets, was interviewed by the media. Photo provided by correspondent
Reporter: What are the differences between milk tea and latte? Will milk iron become a star product of McCafé?
Du Yansong: milk iron is milkier and thicker than latte. The biggest difference lies in the change of extraction method and milk to coffee ratio. Milk iron is specially developed according to the taste preferences and drinking needs of Chinese consumers. We named the new product "Milk Iron" to highlight its rich flavor and show McCafé's confidence in creating an exclusive star product. Reporter
: Is milk iron more expensive than latte?
Du Yansong: Since McCafé entered the Chinese mainland market, it has always maintained stable pricing. The starting point of McCafé is to provide consumers with better value-for-money handcrafted coffee. Lattes are milkier and thicker than lattes, so they sell at different prices. Reporter
: What else can McCafé bring to the market and consumers?
Du Yansong: is number one, actively developing new stores and bringing handcrafted, value-for-money good coffee to consumers in more cities. Second, with the brand tone of youth, sunshine and vitality, we will continue to create new and interesting limited products and activities, and continue to bring life interest and inspiration to young consumers. For example, in the past year, we have successfully launched Sunshine Latte, Cute Pet Coffee, jointly created bubble latte and bubble bathhouse pop-up stores with Dove , and also worked with Daily Heiqiao to distribute start-up red envelopes, etc., all of which have won awards. Good reviews from consumers. With the release of milk iron, we also changed to a new "Little Yellow Cup" series of packaging, which looks younger and brighter.Reporter
: How would you evaluate McCafé’s market performance in the past two years? What are McCafé’s future development plans and expectations?
Du Yansong: In the past two years, McCafé has experienced healthy and rapid growth, meeting our expectations. At present, McCafé has nearly 2,500 stores nationwide, nearly three times the number in 2019, and the number of cups nationwide has increased nearly six times. In the future, we look forward to making "high-value handmade coffee" an everyday item within consumers' reach, so that consumers can drink a cup of cost-effective coffee at any time and anywhere. We also hope that more people can see McCafé’s dedication and professionalism and trust the McCafé brand. This is also our original intention in creating milk iron. Reporter
: Has McCafé considered the layout of flagship stores, joint stores, concept stores, etc.?
Du Yansong: McCafé adopts a store-in-store model. Relying on different types of McDonald’s restaurants, the type and decoration style of McCafé will also be adapted to local conditions. Currently, more than 50% of chain coffee business comes from delivery and takeaway. Reporter
: Coffee culture is becoming increasingly popular in China. What insights does McCafé have on Chinese consumers’ coffee drinking preferences and future consumption trends?
Du Yansong: First of all, Chinese consumers prefer sweet and smooth milk coffee. Compared with black coffee such as American style, most Chinese people prefer milk coffee; while professional tastings will consider bitterness and sourness, the general public prefers a rich, smooth and milky taste. Based on this, McCafé is also constantly conducting new product research and development. The milk iron series adopts a new upgraded formula, which increases the milk volume by 30%, making the taste smoother and smoother, milkier and thicker than latte.
Secondly, consumer trends show the demand for quality, diversification and personalization. Quality: More attention is paid to the quality of coffee, and there are even some specialty coffee enthusiasts who like to delve into the production areas and production methods; Diversification: The demand is more diverse, some people value the refreshing need, some pursue freshness and novelty, and some enjoy the offline atmosphere experience and coffee. There are also some folk coffee "tasting masters" who like to inquire about the origin of coffee. Personalization: consumers expect to be able to customize sugar content and milk product selections. McCafé currently offers consumers four milk base options: milk, oat milk, thick coconut milk, and thick milk. Reporter
: How does McCafé understand today’s young consumers?
Du Yansong: Generation Z has become an emerging consumption force that cannot be ignored in the new consumption wave. Many of the current coffee consumers are Internet natives. They have stronger social attributes, advocate consumption experience, and pursue happiness. McCafé has always maintained a young, sunny and energetic brand tone, using more online language and interesting activities to play with young people. Since last year, McCafé has successively launched a variety of new products such as Sun Latte, Vitality Red Ginseng, and Cute Pet Coffee, combining innovations in taste, raw materials, and gameplay concepts. McCafé also continues to establish more novel and interesting interactions with young groups on social platforms, and "play" with everyone through cross-border co-branding and various creative ideas, such as: 2021 McCafé cross-border co-branding Dove, Launched a limited edition bubble latte; at the beginning of 2022, McCafé teamed up with Daily Heiqiao to launch a "red envelope for start of work" campaign, which aroused heated discussion.
[Error correction] Editor: Xie Xiang
