Casey’s General Stores was already a fan favorite across the Midwest by the time Tom Brennan joined the company six years ago. The Ankeny, Iowa-based c-store retailer had just surpassed 2,100 stores in its network and was building its reputation as one of the nation’s top pizza sellers.
But Brennan, who was brought on as Casey’s chief merchandising officer, quickly found a hole in Casey’s product offering — and it was hurting in-store sales.
“I was pretty shocked at the lack of velocity we had with coffee,” said Brennan. “It was kind of counterintuitive to me that a brand like Casey's that had such equity with prepared food… to then not see that translate over to dispensed beverages, and more on the hot side.”
It didn’t take long for Brennan and his team to “take a couple bites at the apple” to bring coffee sales up. But for whatever reason, Casey’s coffee offerings continued to come up short as the company embarked on a major U.S. expansion and exceeded in other categories.
About 15 months ago, Brennan knew something had to change.
“We were like, ‘All right, we've got to get coffee right,’” Brennan said. “We cannot let it stand that everything we were building at Casey's and that this amazing brand has built over decades isn't meeting the mark on coffee. And so we really went back to the drawing board.”
Painstaking research
Casey’s went to its customers with surveys and questionnaires, trying to figure out what was wrong with its coffee. The company split its customer base into three segments: those who’ve stuck with Casey’s coffee over the years, consumers who used to buy Casey’s coffee but had since dropped off and people who never considered Casey’s as a coffee destination.
“I was pretty shocked at the lack of velocity we had with coffee.”
Tom Brennan
Chief merchandising officer, Casey's General Stores
Brennan and his team came to the conclusion that guests found Casey’s beans and roasts underwhelming. Specifically, Casey’s didn’t have enough flavors and variety in its coffee program. Brennan added that customers who had tailed off Casey’s coffee also did so because they disliked the taste.
“Our assortment was too limited — we didn't have enough of an offer to attract the spectrum of coffee drinkers who are out there,” Brennan said.
This data led Casey’s on a year-long journey of vetting and testing new coffee flavors, roasts and beans that would hopefully turn its java program around. The company outsourced branding and analytical assistance from its creative agency and a third-party “coffee partner.” Additionally, Brennan and his team looked at what competing QSRs and convenience retailers were doing in terms of roasts, flavors, price and the overall coffee experience, to consider what it could bring to its own program.
“We knew on this one — because we had been missing the mark — that we really had to be painstaking, and make sure that this was going to be right before we launched,” Brennan said.
Darn Good Coffee
Months of work and research culminated in January when Casey’s launched its Darn Good Coffee program across its 2,900-plus convenience stores.
The offering includes eight flavors: Casey’s house blend, 100% Columbian, French roast, “Rooster’s Call” high-caffeine roast, salted caramel toffee, light roast, decaf and the limited-time toasted pecan blend.
Each blend can be customized with various creamers, sweeteners and condiments to create more artisanal drinks — some of which Casey’s has already coined. For example, mixing the new French roast with French vanilla and hazelnut flavorings creates what Casey’s calls the Winter Delight, while combining the Rooster’s Call blend with hazelnut, caramel macchiato and French vanilla creamers results in the Trailer Hitch Coffee.
Brennan said many of the new roasts and flavors came from data it collected with the help of its third-party partners. Having those outside experts observe Casey’s coffee program with fresh eyes and offer guidance on what’s happening in Casey’s markets from a flavor trends perspective was instrumental in the launch.
Brennan emphasized that since Casey’s java program lacked variety for years, Darn Good Coffee aims to be innovative and different.
“We want to make sure that we have something that folks can only get at Casey's, because that's going to drive traffic to our stores and engagement with our brand,” he said.
Although the program has only been around for a month, Brennan said Casey’s is seeing guests “really engage” with its new flavors and roasts.
“We’re excited to see how high this can get in 2025 and beyond.”
