They look almost identical, are sold at around the same price and are both stamped as quality coffee. But what exactly is the difference?
In Norway, we do not have the largest selection of coffee brands in our grocery stores.
– Norway are European champions in small shops. They have little space and prioritize the products they make money on, says grocery expert Erik Fagerlid.
In addition, NorgesGruppen, Coop and Rema have ownership and / or strategic agreement with one main supplier of coffee. Coop owns Coop coffee, Rema owns Kjeldsberg and the coffee house Joh Johansson Kaffe which sells Evergood and Ali Kaffe is part of the group Norgesgruppen.
Two of the brands we come across in the stores are Friele and Evergood. The two have almost identical packaging, usually the same price and the same image as a “number one brand” in their stores.
The online newspaper has tried to dig into what is really the difference between the two brands.
Suggests that Friele should be compared to Ali Kaffe
Joh Johansson produces the brands Evergood and Ali Kaffe. Marketing Manager Ted Allergoth explains what makes Evergood unique.
– It is our blend that consists of quality coffee from Colombia, Kenya, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Brazil, in a special blending ratio that gives a nice and aromatic taste. Specifically, we use the qualities Kenya AB TOP, Tres Rios from Costa Rica, Huehuetenango from Guatemala and coffee from the Huila district in Colombia. This, combined with very good professional knowledge in relation to roasting the coffee in the right way, gives the aromatic taste that characterizes Evergood, says Allergoth to Nettavisen.
– Why is Evergood better than Friele, in their eyes?
– That some people think that Evergood is better than other brands, we naturally appreciate, but we as a company do not want to talk down other brands. Of course, we agree that the taste of Friele coffee and Evergood is different, but it is difficult to document what Friele does. However, we assume that Friele Breakfast has more coffee from Brazil than Evergood, which affects the taste. If that is correct, Friele Breakfast should be compared to our Ali coffee, says Allergoth.
Is Ali Kaffe their budget option?
– We do not consider Ali Kaffe as our cheap coffee, but as our number two coffee.
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After comes their two other brands, Cirkel Caffe and Intenso.
– When it comes to competitors, we think that Evergood is slightly above the rest of the typical brands in groceries. Then comes Ali coffee, Coop blue, Kjeldsberg and Friele. At the level below, Cirkel and Coop are red / yellow. At the bottom we find Intenso and the other cheap brands for all the chains.
Allergoth explains that in practice there are three different main types of coffee: Coffea liberica, Coffea robusta and Coffea arabica.
Of these three, the last, Arabica coffee, is considered the best in terms of quality. Arabica coffee is available in many different varieties. Each of these has a unique taste profile with different taste elements and fullness. In order for our customers to have the same good taste experience from time to time, we work hard to put together different Arabica varieties to create the very special Evergood taste.
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– Different taste profile
Friele is owned by the Dutch coffee house Jacob Douwe Egberts. The press manager, Alexandra Iskandar, says that Norwegian consumers generally demand high quality of the coffee we drink.
– Friele is one of Norway’s most famous brands in coffee and has over 220 years of history and is Norway’s oldest coffee house. Friele has always focused on consistent coffee quality, good ingredients and not least a great focus on sharing knowledge and passion about coffee with the Norwegian people.
She confirms that Friele has historically bought most coffee from Brazil.
– Friele has historically always bought a lot of coffee from Brazil, where the majority of all coffee on a global level is produced. In addition, we buy coffee from several other countries such as Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and Peru.
Why is Friele better than Evergood?
– Friele consists of different coffee blends and thus has a different taste profile. It is the consumers’ habits and taste preferences that determine which coffee one prefers. As you know, the taste differs from person to person, and there will therefore be big differences in which coffee you think is best.
Friele also has strict quality controls to ensure the Friele taste.
– Most of our Friele coffee is produced at the factory in Bergen. Raw coffee is delivered to the factory and quality control is carried out daily to ensure that delivery is of the right quality and in accordance with our standards. The coffee is then roasted and possibly ground before it is packed according to current standards for the Norwegian market.
Regarding the plug from the competitor, Iskandar says the following:
– The quality of a coffee is assessed on the basis of several factors and not just the country of origin. Friele coffee consists of a unique blend and taste profile, which is designed uniquely for the Norwegian consumer. That is why Friele is also one of Norway’s most sought-after coffee brands, Iskandar points out.
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Must characterize precisely the the coffee
Bjørn Grytteland, press contact at Norsk Kaffeinformasjon, says that making coffee is a complicated process.
– The recipe should give the characteristic taste profile that characterizes precisely the the coffee. Evergood and Friele Frokost, Norway’s two best-selling coffee types, are two blends with different taste profiles.
In addition, he adds that there is both high and low quality coffee from Brazil.
– I do not know exactly the recipe for Friele Breakfast, but it is probably true that it has a larger proportion of coffee from Brazil. While Evergood mostly consists of so-called washed coffee, Friele breakfast will have a larger proportion of sun-dried coffee (typical of Brazil). Then it becomes a less sour feeling, says Grytteland.
Norwegian Coffee Information can not comment on quality differences, but points out that it will be a matter of taste.
– This is exactly what makes coffee exciting, just like wine. It is good with differences, and coffee within the same price category will have approximately the same raw material quality.
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