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BARE BREW sells out first production run and named to Newsweek's "best Cold Brew Brand 2026" List. Vol. 127 - NO. 39 Newswire Startup CPG. SINCE 2019 July 28, 2026 Startup CPG Newswire: BARE BREW sells out first production run and named to Newsweek's "best Cold Brew Brand 2026" List. CHICAGO, IL (2026) - Bare Brew, a Chicago-based cold brew coffee brand, has sold out its first full production run and been named to Newsweek's Readers' Choice "Best Cold Brew Brand 2026" list alongside Starbucks, Blue Bottle, and La Colombe. Founded by Miles Schwartz, Bare Brew is made with just two ingredients: coffee and water. The product contains zero sugar, zero additives, and 320mg of natural caffeine per nitro-infused can. "We set out to make the simplest cold brew on the market, and the response has validated that consumers are ready for a clean-label option," said Schwartz. "Selling out our first production run within weeks of launch was something we did not expect." The brand has scaled from direct-to-consumer into retail, currently available in more than 26 retail doors across Chicago and Michigan. Bare Brew is also sold on Amazon, TikTok Shop, and direct at drinkbarebrew.com. Bare Brew operates as a bootstrapped smallteam with no outside funding so far. The Newsweek recognition places Bare Brew among established national brands in the cold brew category. The Readers' Choice list is determined by consumer voting and editorial review. Bare Brew is currently expanding its retail presence across the Midwest and scaling its direct-to-consumer channels. The brand's distribution strategy focuses on independent grocers, specialty food retailers, and fitness-oriented retail locations. About Bare Brew Bare Brew is a Chicago-based cold brew coffee brand founded by Miles Schwartz. Made with just two ingredients - coffee and water - Bare Brew contains zero sugar, zero additives, and 320mg of natural caffeine per can. The brand began as a small-batch operation and has grown into a bootstrapped two-person team scaling from direct-to-consumer into retail. Bare Brew is currently available in over 26 retail doors across Chicago and Michigan, on Amazon, TikTok Shop, and direct at drinkbarebrew.com. Bare Brew was named to Newsweek's Readers' Choice "Best Cold Brew Brand 2026" list alongside Starbucks, Blue Bottle, and La Colombe. The news and images contained on this page has been provided by a third party. Startup CPG does not verify, endorse, or vouch for any information or content submitted by third parties, or verify the identity, credentials, or expertise of third parties. Startup CPG, Inc. encourage you to consider carefully the source of all information and content provided by third parties on this website. Join Startup CPG! Have you joined its *free* Slack community yet? Join the largest CPG community in the world to receive and share on-the-spot advice, industry news and data, and exclusive discounts and opportunities for emerging brands. If you want to be the first to know about key business updates from the most innovative early CPG brands, sign up for its bi-weekly Newswire roundups here. More posts. July 28, 2026 July 23, 2026 July 29, 2026 July 28, 2026 July 23, 2026 July 29, 2026 July 28, 2026

Blue Bottle Coffee indtroduces new slow-drip cold espresso line made without machines. Blue Bottle Coffee is innovating by introducing a new line of cold espresso drinks inspired by a traditional cold-brewing technique from Kyoto, Japan. This method, known as Kyoto-Style Espresso, utilizes a slow-drip process akin to a Kyoto drip tower, where ground coffee is placed and cold water is gently poured through it. This contrasts with the standard cold brew approach that involves soaking coarsely ground coffee in water for extended periods. Typically, Kyoto towers are not associated with espresso, which is usually brewed with heat and high pressure. However, Kevin Thaxton, Blue Bottle's director of global product development, and his team have refined this process over the past two-and-a-half years. They have successfully developed a method that allows baristas at the chain's 152 global locations to brew this espresso in roughly 90 minutes per batch, which can then be bottled for use throughout the day. Thaxton emphasizes the necessity of optimizing coffee quality, questioning the reliability of espresso machines for cold drinks. He argues that espresso is meant to be consumed hot and can turn bitter when cooled or iced, suggesting that the industry has historically adapted traditional methods rather than creating a specialized cold espresso process. This shift is increasingly relevant as consumer preferences have evolved, with cold drinks accounting for about half of all orders at Blue Bottle in the U.S., China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. This figure, however, is lower compared to competitors like Starbucks, where cold beverages represent 75% of sales. The new batch brewing process not only enhances flavor but also boosts operational efficiency, enabling baristas to prepare drinks more rapidly and concentrate on customer service and presentation. Furthermore, this innovative approach supports the potential for smaller coffeehouses that emphasize cold beverages without the need for space-consuming espresso machines. Read More @ NRN

Blue Bottle Coffee launches cold espresso made without machines. Kyoto-Style Espresso is made using a slow-drip method inspired by a process used in the Japanese city. Bret Thorn, Senior Food Editor, Nation's Restaurant News June 16, 2026 Blue Bottle Coffee is drawing inspiration from a cold-brewing technique from Kyoto, Japan, for a new line of cold espresso drinks that don't require a machine to make. Kyoto-Style Espresso, as Blue Bottle is calling it, is made using a slow-drip method similar to a Kyoto drip tower, a tall column in which ground coffee is placed and cold water is slowly poured through it. It's a different approach than cold brew, for which coarsely ground coffee is soaked in water for 12 hours or more. Kyoto towers are not generally used for espresso, which typically requires heat and high pressure, but Kevin Thaxton, Blue Bottle's director of global product development, and his team spent the past two-and-a-half years tweaking and refining the process to allow baristas at the San Francisco-based chain's 152 locations worldwide to make it in around 90 minutes per batch, which is then stored in bottles to be used over the course of a daypart. "We're always looking for the best version of our coffee, and when it comes to cold espresso, the question that comes up is: Is the espresso machine the best tool to make these drinks?" Thaxton said. "The answer was no." He said espresso is intended to be drunk hot and quickly, and when it's poured over ice or otherwise cools, it tends to become sharper and more bitter. He said iced espresso has long been an adaptation rather than a purpose-built process across the industry, a factor that has grown in importance as consumers shift from hot to cold drinks. Cold drinks now make up around half of all drinks ordered at Blue Bottle locations in the United States, China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore; that's actually low compared to some of its competitors, such as Starbucks, which reports that 75% of its beverages are cold. Beyond the flavor benefits of the new brew, batch production also improves operational efficiency, allowing baristas to prepare drinks more quickly and focus more on customer interaction and final drink presentation. Thaxton said it also paves the way for smaller-footprint coffeehouses specializing in cold drinks that wouldn't need space for espresso machines. The debut lineup, launching June 16, is: Cold-Shaken Espresso: Kyoto-Style Espresso shaken to create a smooth crema on top and served with a side of sparkling water Iced Caffè Latte: The new espresso with choice of cold milk, optionally sweetened with muscovado sugar Vanilla Bean Shakerato: The new espresso with vanilla bean simple syrup poured over cold milk and ice Espresso Tonic: The new espresso poured into tonic and sparkling water Iced Caffè Mocha: The new espresso mixed with chocolate ganache Sweet Blossom Latte: The new espresso with cold milk and elderflower syrup, garnished with orange zest Sweet Blossom Shakerato: The new espresso with elderflower syrup, shaken and garnished with orange zest Follow him on TikTok and Instagram: @foodwriterdiary Senior Food Editor, Nation's Restaurant News Senior Food & Beverage Editor Bret Thorn is senior food & beverage editor of Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. Hi is responsible for spotting and reporting on F&B trends across the country for both publications. He is the co-host of a podcast, Menu Talk with Pat and Bret, which features interviews with chefs, food & beverage authorities, and other experts in foodservice operations. From 2005 to 2008 he also wrote the Kitchen Dish column for The New York Sun, covering restaurant openings and chefs' career moves in New York City. He joined Nation's Restaurant News in 1999 after spending about five years in Thailand, where he wrote articles about business, banking and finance as well as restaurant reviews and food columns for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. He joined Restaurant Hospitality's staff in 2016 while retaining his position at NRN. A magna cum laude graduate of Tufts University in Medford, Mass., with a bachelor's degree in history, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Thorn also studied traditional French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine in Paris. He spent his junior year of college in China, studying Chinese language, history and culture for a semester each at Nanjing University and Beijing University. While in Beijing, he also worked for ABC News during the protests and ultimate crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square in 1989. Thorn's monthly column in Nation's Restaurant News won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award for best staff-written editorial or opinion column. He served as president of the International Foodservice Editorial Council, or IFEC, in 2005. Thorn wrote the entry on comfort food in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, 2nd edition, published in 2012. He also wrote a history of plated desserts for the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets, published in 2015. He was inducted into the Disciples d'Escoffier in 2014. A Colorado native originally from Denver, Thorn lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Bret Thorn's areas of expertise include food and beverage trends in restaurants, French cuisine, the cuisines of Asia in general and Thailand in particular, restaurant operations and service trends. Bret Thorn's Experience: Nation's Restaurant News, food & beverage editor, 1999-Present New York Sun, columnist, 2005-2008 Asia Times, sub editor, 1995-1997 Manager magazine, senior editor and restaurant critic, 1992-1997 ABC News, runner, May-July, 1989 Education: Tufts University, BA in history, 1990 Peking University, studied Chinese language, spring, 1989 Nanjing University, studied Chinese language and culture, fall, 1988 Le Cordon Bleu Ecole de Cuisine, Cértificat Elémentaire, 1986 Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters Content Spotlight