In Texas, flavors are hot.

While the west coast prefers non-flavored dark roasted coffees and easterners are experimenting with espresso-based drinks, Texas is roasting a trail of flavored coffees that leads to neighboring southern states and up throughout the midwest. Whether it's the attraction of brightly colored foil packaging with catchy names like Snickerdoodle or Strudel Cake, or a relationship based on a neighborly handshake, Texans' enthusiasm for flavored coffees inspires wholesalers to create flavors and produce new specialty products with the Texan market in mind. But why are Texans so eager to try new products? What is it that inspires them to risk a new product trend, and how can coffee suppliers capture their spirit?

Just visit the market area of the Dallas Market Center and experience the many permanent exhibits of coffee companies nestled among the salsa, jellies, and fudge. See the bright lights of the booths, watch the fashionable buyers wearing southwestern attire and smelling of designer fragrances, and experience the country music playing in the lobby just outside the gourmet booth area. It's the adventuresome pioneer spirit, the resilience experienced from the ups and downs of the economy coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit that sets Texas apart from other citizens of other states. And Texans are fiercely loyal to their own state. Country Coffee, headquartered in Tyler, Texas, knows how to sell to their customers. To create a traditional cowboy atmosphere within their permanent booth in the Dallas Market, Country Coffee ties red bandannas around the necks of their coffee bean jars.

Buyers rounding the corner of Country Coffee's booth find it hard to refuse Ray Johnson, sales manager, who stands well over six feet and may be wearing boots as he cordially asks customers to sample. "Flavored coffees nave intrigued coffee drinkers across the country. In Texas, it has also affected non-coffee drinkers," says Johnson, attempting to explain why flavored coffees are so popular in Texas. "The flavor name game, as I call it, has created an incredible interest and has opened a whole new market in Texas as well as the south. It has brought out non-coffee drinkers and hearty coffee drinkers just to experience the tastes of flavors like Snicker-Roo or Angel's Kiss."

"Most non-coffee drinkers," continues Johnson, "do not like the taste of coffee. Therefore flavors seem to somewhat hide the traditional taste, at least enough to create a new coffee lover. Drinking flavored coffee leads to drinking varietals and blends. It's a win-win situation."

Barbara Ringgold, vice president of the Atlanta Coffee Roastery (ACR) in Atlanta, Georgia, agrees with Johnson concerning non-coffee connoisseurs, who first experimented with flavors and then graduate to more options. Within the Dallas Market, ACR is located across the aisle from and right next to fudge booths in the permanent exhibit area. Strollers follow their nose to the scents of strudel cake or creme brulee permeating the aisles from the ACR booth. Along the route, shoppers pick up samples of fudge to try while sipping coffee. Ringgold, a native of Port Arthur, Texas, thinks the popularity of flavored coffee is partly due to Texans' love of good food and drink, so they naturally migrate toward better tastes.

Kelly Ringley of Allegro Coffee in Boulder, Colorado, reports her company does a strong business in Texas, though they do not emphasize flavored coffee as much as the other companies interviewed. In putting together a variety of coffee programs throughout the state, however, Ringley noticed a significant volume of flavored beans being sold in that market. Although Allegro does sell a variety of flavored coffees in Texas, they are also strong in private label and organic coffees. Like Johnson and Ringgold, Ringley says consumers who are used to canned coffees may first venture into specialty coffee by trying a French vanilla or hazelnut, then move to other blends or single origin coffees such as Kenyas or Costa Ricans which are great, flavorful experiences on their own."

Just across the border in Oklahoma City is Neighbors Quality Coffee Company, a firm which roasts and sells over 150 flavors in Texas. Spokesman Steve Neighbors has "no clue" as to why flavored coffees are so popular in Texas, but has seen a trend starting there, then moving outward toward both coasts. Phil Huggard, also with Neighbors Quality Coffee, attributes their flavored coffee sales to next-day shipping and the proximity of their roasting facility to Texas. "Getting people to try the different flavors has been the major hurdle," reports Huggard, whose company participates in 35 trade shows each year. "Once we introduced flavors and encouraged customers to sample in their stores, everything took off," said Huggard.

Allegro, Neighbors, Atlanta Coffee Roastery, and Country Coffee all report that their sales of flavored coffees to Texas are primarily whole bean. With some of the coffees, each company encourages their customers to create names with a local flare. According to one of their retail customers, Scott Silverman, vice president of Rice Epicurean Markets in Houston, customers buy "intriguing names and mild flavors which caters to a newer coffee market." Allegro's Ringley tends to agree that the coffee trend is new to Texas. The top selling flavors at Rice Epicurean are: hazelnut, vanilla nut cream, southern pecan, and cinnamon hazelnut praline. Either along or in combination with a creme or other flavoring, hazelnut is among the top five flavored coffees sold to Texans by the companies interviewed. Also among the top five reported by these companies are the "snicker" names, i.e. Snickerdelight, Snickerdoodle, and SnickerRoo. Other popular flavors include French vanilla, southern pecan, caffe amaretto, Frangelico creme, Coco Cabaret, Mochadoodle, Angel's Kiss, toasted almond, and strudel cake.

Special promotions are also popular in Texas. Neighbors Coffee offers promotional discounts on certain flavors at different times of the year - such as Irish Cream for St. Patrick's Day, or Eggnog during the Christmas holidays. Special pricing on flavors that traditionally sell better during certain holidays such as Egg Nog, Spiced Butter Rum, Pumpkin Pie, and Christmas Creme are offered at those times of the year. A flee product with the purchase of new coffees, either straight or flavored, that are new to the company's product line is an incentive as well. In addition, special holiday packaging for Christmas is also available.

Rice Epicurean Markets promotes Yule Nog and cinnamon Hazelnut Praline in the fall with constant demos. The upscale supermarket chain's coffee bar area is a focal point for shoppers to wheel their carts by the counter and pick up a sample of their latest flavor. In one store, Rice's Coffee of the Week program may coincide with an ice-cream flavor from Ben & Jerry's, which has an in-store operation next to the coffee bar.

In addition to upscale supermarkets, even gift and hardware stores like Bering's in Houston and Breed & Co. in Austin are selling strudel cake and French vanilla. Since the merchandise and gift marts are often open at the same time, prospective buyers attending the gourmet shows in Dallas are jewelers, mail and package store franchisees, interior designers, antique shops, and women's apparel buyers - all opening coffee nooks within a very untraditional setting. Even nutrition departments of hospitals and their gift store personnel buy flavored coffees. Some buy to use as a loss leader to entice shoppers with an appetizing fragrance that would lead to selling other merchandise. Others buy because brewing and selling coffees invites friendship and a warm atmosphere.

Packaging has been a strong lure for buying flavored coffees. Just for the holidays, Country Coffee's Merry Christmas Collection contains a box with two ounce pillow packages of festive red, green, and gold foil available in four flavors. Atlanta Coffee Roastery sells gold gift boxes containing three or six flavor varieties topped with ribbon and a gift card that stock non-food items. Gift baskets, ideal for brightly colored mini- foil packages of flavored beverages, are popular choices in Texas and are hot for corporate buyers.

Private label programs are big business as evidenced by Texas companies like Bronco Bob's Lady Walton's Cookies, Jardine's Texas Foods, The Sweet Shop, Neiman Marcus, and Rice Epicurean Markets to name just a few.

The demand for colorful packaging combined with new, quality products has led to the increasing popularity of cocoa. "Sweet Memories," the brand from Country Coffee, is an old fashion country cocoa mix and has been a great seller," reports Johnson. Flexibility and variety enhances their sales. Available in chocolate, chocolate cinnamon hazelnut, chocolate hazelnut, chocolate mint, chocolate raspberry, and chocolate amaretto, cocoa is packaged in 1.25 oz. individual packages, 6.25 and 15 oz canisters, and a gift tote box. "An added bonus," says Johnson, "is that it only has 2 grams of fat per serving. Many customers have told us that Sweet Memories tastes great added to coffee as a creamer or to create that unique twist to a mocha."

Atlanta Coffee Roastery also sells cocoa under the name Cafe Boulevard. The six flavors in 1.25 oz., brightly colored foil packages are chocolate supreme, chocolate raspberry, chocolate strudel cake, chocolate almond, chocolate mint and chocolate hazelnut. For gifts that are appropriate any time of the year, cocoas come packaged 12 in a plaid, shrink-wrapped tin.

Neighbors Coffee markets a cocoa under their name with seven inviting flavors: Chocolate Snickerdoodle, chocolate amaretto, chocolate raspberry, Dutch chocolate, chocolate mint, buttered rum and Irish creme. They also produce a line of instant flavored cappuccinos that are popular in gift baskets. Flavors include Belgian creme, hazelnut, Snickerdoodle, CappuMochaccino, and raspberry truffle.

True, Texans buy big amounts of flavored coffee, but they also demand big quality.

Suzanne Brown is a marketing consultant specializing in publishing collateral materials for the coffee, tea, and specialty food industries. She can be reached at: 5230 Vernon Springs Trail, Atlanta, Georgia 30327. Tel: [phone], Fax: [phone].