Coffee giant Maxwell House is changing its name for the first time in its 133-year history as part of a marketing campaign meant to reflect the economic reality of millions of Americans.
The brand, which is owned by Kraft Heinz, will be temporarily renamed to ‘Maxwell Apartment,’ in a nod to the fact that one third of Americans rent their homes rather than purchasing them.
‘In a time where value matters now more than ever, Americans seek value in areas of their everyday, including where they live,’ the brand said in a press release published to Kraft Heinz’s website last Thursday.
The change will be in name only, and the brand promised to maintain its ‘same delicious taste, aroma, quality and ingredients.’ The coffee is ‘the same Maxwell House Original Roast Ground Coffee you love, that’s just for renters,’ the release said.
The announcement closely aligned with National Coffee Day, which was on September 29, and the brand introduced its limited-edition Maxwell Apartment coffee canisters for purchase that day.
As a part of the marketing campaign, the brand is offering a 12-month ‘lease’ on its coffee, allowing customers to save a little money while stocking up on a full year supply of java.
The offer is for four 27.5-ounce canisters of Maxwell House Original Roast Ground Coffee for $39.99. One of those canisters usually goes for $12.99 on Amazon.
The company cited statistics that say coffee drinkers could save more than $1,000 a year with the offer, compared to daily cafe runs.
Customers will still be able to purchase regular Maxwell House coffee canisters online and in stores. The Maxwell Apartment canisters will only be available for a limited time.
The marketing campaign comes at a time when Americans are paying near-record levels for their coffee as global production faces challenges and prices increase due to tariffs.
The most recent Consumer Price Index released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that coffee prices were up 20.9 percent from a year ago in August. Prices also rose 3.9 percent on a month-over-month basis.
That was the highest annual price gain since 2011, when it rose 21.2 percent in July that year.
The name change reflects similar marketing campaigns carried out by a variety of brands in recent years.
In January, Starbucks changed its name to ‘The Starbucks Company’ on its website and app. Its legal name remains the Starbucks Corporation.
That same month, Coors Light announced it was temporarily changing its named to ‘Mondays Light’ in honor of people who had a little too much on Super Bowl Sunday.
In October of last year, Goldfish temporarily changed its named to ‘Chilean Sea Bass’ in a quirky attempt to appeal to adults.
In 2022, Kraft Heinz permanently shortened the name of ‘Kraft Macaroni and Cheese’ to ‘Kraft Mac & Cheese’ to better reflect what people called the brand.
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