Not just cold coffee: How Rauch got to know the pitfalls of milk

The ad was perfect: in 1997, a well-known Austrian television presenter interrupted the TV advertising break for a coffee break - with the brand-new Rauch iced coffee in a can, made with milk. The sales department had also worked hard and successfully placed the new product in Austria's supermarkets: 3 months after its launch, Rauch iced coffee was the market leader in Austria despite strong competition. Just one month later Rauch took all the cans off the market - quality problems!

What had happened? At the end of 1996, rumours began to spread that major manufacturers such as Jacobs and Nescafé would be launching iced coffee onto the Austrian market for the first time in just a few months. Outside of Europe, this beverage category had been extremely popular for many years. In Japan, iced coffee even achieved more turnover than Coca-Cola. Rauch did not want to miss this opportunity and attempted to develop this new product in record time.

However, they had enormously underestimated the pitfalls of milk. Very special requirements must be met with regard to formulation and filling technology in order for it not to flocculate, or clump. In the short preparation time of only a few months for the iced coffee, the teams in development and production were unable to meet precisely those requirements. The number of complaints increased. Despite all the crisis committees Rauch was unable to solve this problem.

Time to pull the emergency brake. The experts at Rauch nevertheless continued to work on the solution to the milk problem. And in 2003 Rauch launched its second attack on this market segment, produced on a new filling line. With its particular creaminess, Cafemio was of significantly higher quality than its competitors at the time and was a success from the very beginning.

We interrupt these adverts for a coffee break": In the middle of the advertising break, a presenter from the ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation) invited viewers to a coffee break with Rauch.