Corporate Essentials Ends 20-Year Relationship With Keurig

PARSIPPANY, NJ -- Corporate Essentials said it is ending its nearly 20-year distribution agreement with Keurig Green Mountain Inc. The news comes on the heels of the New Jersey office refreshment provider's announcement last month that it will offer Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee's K-Cup-compatible RealCup single-serve capsules.

"It was a decision that we felt was the right one for our clients," said Corporate Essentials chief executive Judson Kleinman. As a Keurig-authorized distributor, Corporate Essentials could only provide its customers with licensed products from Keurig Green Mountain, he explained.

"When the first Keurig K-Cup patents expired in 2012 and rogue K-Cups flooded the market, our clients inquired about them," Kleinman said. "And even though our clients regularly requested these products for their homes and offices, we respected and honored the terms of our agreement, only offering Keurig K-Cup-licensed products."

But with new single-cup initiatives and what he perceives to be "higher-quality products," Kleinman decided it was time to make a change in order to provide more options for his clients.

Mother Parkers' RealCup coffee and tea capsules include Tim Hortons, Marley, Brown Gold and Higgins & Burke coffees and Numi and China Mist teas.

Corporate Essentials said it plans to expand beyond its relationship with Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee to offer a wide variety of single-serve capsule products.

"I have to be honest, when one of our clients asks for a new coffee with the name of a TV chef or other coffee celebrity, it will feel good to say: 'Sure we can get that for you,'" Kleinman said.

Corporate Essentials says it serves more than 1,500 corporate clients in New York City and New Jersey, along with some 50,000 homes through its website, shoffee.com.