Drinks Buyer 2025

8 LOST SHEEP “W e’ve made millions of cups, so we know what it takes to make a really great speciality coffee,” says Lost Sheep Coffee founder Stuart Wilson. Inspired by the ‘relaxed but geeky’ craft coffee scene inMelbourne, discovered during his travels nearly 15 years ago, Stuart’s creative and passionate approach to the industry has made Lost Sheep Coffee a leader in the speciality field, operating numerous coffee shops, as well as a successful wholesale operation. When it launched in 2012, Lost Sheep Coffee injected new energy into the scene - an energy that was supercharged last year, when the brand introduced a duo of super premiumRTD iced coffees in cans – Latte and Mocha - which quickly picked up industry accolades, including gold (Mocha) and bronze (Latte) at the coveted Great British Food Awards. Most recently a third SKU, Caramel Latte, has joined the family. Each of the cans contains less than 85 calories, half the sugar of leading competitors, is fully ambient and VAT-free (a huge bonus for retailers), and taps into the growing consumer desire for ‘clean energy’ and functional drinks, being a delicious, natural source of caffeine. specialityfoodmagazine.com Lost Sheep Coffee’s premiumRTD products are leading the flock in the canned coffee market THE AUSSIE WAY “When we look at the market,” Stuart says,” the main consumers of canned coffee are Gen Z and Millennials. And data for Gen Z, for example, shows they drink more cold coffee than hot, but are just as discerning about flavour and what they choose as everyone else. What was lacking in the marketplace was a high-end, premium offering.” And that’s where Lost Sheep Coffee comes in. “The whole point of Lost Sheep Coffee is to make speciality coffee accessible and totally unpretentious. RTD’s are a great way to do that,” Stuart continues. The uniqueness of Lost Sheep Iced Coffee begins with the brand’s fully traceable Get To The Hopper blend – a duo of Grade One Brazilian and Colombian beans, renowned as being in the top five in the world for quality. “It’s our take on the classic Melbourne-style coffee we drank in 2011,” Stuart explains. “And it’s our most popular blend by an absolute country mile. It’s a medium roast, with notes of chocolate and caramel. “It’s so important to us to use our own blend. Every single bean used in each can has gone through our roastery, and we can trace them back to the family farms that grow for us.” Unlike other brands, Lost Sheep Coffee freshly grinds, brews and flash chills its coffee for use in their RTD Coffee products. “Most of the drinks on the chiller shelf are made with instant coffee, even the brands you would not expect” Stuart says. “We do not, and will not ever, use instant coffee. There’s a massive taste difference, and for us, it means the drink cans have zero bitterness. It’s all smooth. “Customers can just chill, shake and enjoy. They’re essentially getting a full barista experience, just like they would in a coffee shop. All with the shake of a can!” Lost Sheep Iced Coffee is available now fromCotswold Fayre.