Zavida’s “Roadshows” are a way to sample and share a brand story about being taste-adventurous, the coffee roaster says.

With appearances scheduled at Costco locations around Ontario in the upcoming weeks and well through the summer including in Windsor, London, Barrie, Richmond Hill and Mississauga, Zavida’s roadshow messaging urges consumers to “go on a taste adventure” with the brand and “enjoy life’s flavours.”

“A liquid-to-lips sampling strategy is a great way to reduce a customer’s hesitation to invest in products that [they] haven’t experienced firsthand,” says Darlyn Reyes, Zavida’s recently promoted senior director of marketing and eCommerce.

Roadshows offer more than just your typical product sampling, she explains. The events provide an opportunity to share more of the brand story and allow customers to taste the products, especially its lineup of recent product innovations beyond its core offerings.

“While our Hazelnut Vanilla, 100% Colombian, and Organica blends are staples available in most Costco locations, the roadshow introduces an exciting array of six different SKUs,” Reyes says. These include flavors like Crème Brûlée and Raspberry Chocolate, as well as new products like Espresso Blend and House Blend.

“Our initial goal with roadshows was to introduce customers to Zavida’s coffees and expand our brand’s story of offering amazing coffee with diverse flavours,” Reyes says. “We’ve now transformed roadshows into dynamic platforms for real-time experimentation.”

The events are used to gather valuable insights into customer preferences and behaviours and allows the company to adapt and refine strategies quickly to meet audience’s evolving needs and desires.

Last fall, Zavida courted younger buyers and the campus crowd with two new single-serve variety packs at Walmart, combining both conventional and more avant-garde flavours. It also unveiled a six-flavour Espresso capsules Nespresso-compatible lineup in November.

Zavida’s primary approach to generating interest in Roadshow events is through social media. It’s been effective, Reyes says, as customers are showing enthusiasm in requesting Zavida’s presence at their local Costco.

The roaster worked with Costco’s sampling agency. All creative was completed in-house.