Nestlé updated Nescafé Gold range. Credit: Nestlé.

Global food and beverage company Nestlé is launching an updated recipe for its flagship instant coffee range Nescafé Gold in Europe and other global markets.

This follows the success of the revamped Nescafé Gold range in the UK since its introduction in October 2017.

The new recipe is a mix of soluble coffee and finely ground Arabia coffee beans. The inclusion of coffee granules in the final product is a response to consumer preferences for authentic, crafted coffee.

Nestlé global brand manager Claus Boysen said: “We have seen a strong increase in consumer demand for premium coffee and we knew we had to step-change Nescafé Gold.

“We have a mix of soluble coffee and roasted ground coffee, which is ground ten times finer than normal, which is then added to the soluble coffee to maximise the freshness of taste and aroma.

“The ambition is that Nescafé Gold should be able to compete with roast and ground coffee.”

Nescafé Gold’s updated recipe is complemented by new packaging, which includes a tall, sleek container with a brushed champagne gold lid.

Nestlé’s beverage strategic business unit head Carsten Fredholm said: “Nescafé is the world’s leading and preferred coffee brand.

“After 80 years touching people’s lives every day, we continue to share our passion and craft for making great coffee.

“The relaunch of Nescafé Gold underlines Nestlé’s commitment to developing the coffee business and our leading brands around the world.”

Nescafé Gold’s updated taste and design took two years to perfect and spans the 27 products in the instant coffee range.

The refresh in the UK was accompanied by a new marketing campaign titled ‘Those Few People’, which cost £7m ($9.7m).

Nestlé said in a statement: “The relaunch campaign includes emotional and product television commercials linking the care we put into our relationships with the care and attention that goes into making a cup of Nescafé Gold.

“The campaign aims to drive home the message that each one of us will meet around 80,000 people in our lifetime but only a few will be really special to us.

“We don’t often get a chance to make that many truly meaningful connections, so when we do it’s worth making and effort to hold on to them.”

Although sales of instant coffee are slowing in Western Europe, the market is strong elsewhere in the world, especially South East Asia and Latin America.

Market research company Euromonitor estimate the global market for instant coffee was $30bn in 2017, and Nestlé controls 40% of the market.