Sheetz today announced it is among the first convenience restaurants to install a new coffee brewing technology that offers customers more consistency in taste, temperature, and aroma in short, Sheetz will have a better cup of coffee. The new technology, called Soft Heat by BUNN, will still brew the company’s famous Sheetz Bros Coffeez and represents a $7.5 million investment in the company’s coffee technology.
“Many traditional brewing systems degrade coffee taste by using pots that extend exposure to inconsistent heating that results in coffee with a burnt or flat taste,” says Louie Sheetz, executive vice president, marketing. “To add to the problem, coffee that is stored in open containers loses much of the natural aroma and evaporates before it’s even poured, making for a bland cup of coffee.”
According to Louie Sheetz, the new brewing technology now being installed will keep coffee at an ideal, uniform holding temperature in a closed container to preserve the exceptional aroma of Sheetz Bros Coffeez. It also utilizes custom pulse-brew technology that makes the most flavorful cup of coffee.
Sheetz is also introducing its new flavor dispensers that give customers more variety and flexibility in choosing flavors to compliment their coffee. The new set-up has 20 possible flavor shot combinations, including French Vanilla, Irish Cream, Amaretto, Chocolate Cream, Hazelnut, and Butter Pecan, in addition to traditional Half & Half and non-dairy creamer.
This allows patrons to truly customize any of the five Sheetz Bros Coffeez blends. Additionally, Sheetz will continue to offer four different sweetener options precisely delivered from its flavor stations.
“Adding sugar, cream, and flavor shots generally involves opening numerous individual containers, then pouring, sometimes spilling, the contents into the coffee or on the counter, creating a lot of unnecessary mess and paper waste,” says Louie Sheetz. “If you’re in a hurry in the morning, it can be frustrating waiting for someone to fumble through the flavoring process.”
The new Sheetz system completely changes that because it is simple and quick, and lets customers mix and match flavoring while virtually eliminating spills and paper waste.
“This set up gives customers everything they expect when they come to Sheetz,” Louie Sheetz says. “No one else gives you the ability to customize your coffee like we do.”
The new Soft Heat brewing technology and flavor dispensers is rolling out in Sheetz convenience restaurants throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.