Jollibee’s Got 8 New Tropics-Inspired ‘Signature Sips’ — and They’re Exactly What You Need to Beat the Winter Blues
It's all about the Dragonfruit Sunset Quencher for us.
Food & Wine / Jollibee
Fans of Jollibee’s Chickenjoy fried chicken in the United States now have fresh flavors to pair with the food lineup, as the Philippines-based chain this month unveiled a new Signature Sips menu with a range of fruit-forward Quenchers and Freezes — in addition to specialty iced teas and a cold brew concoction.
With more than 70 locations in the United States and over 1,650 across 17 countries, Jollibee is one of the world’s fastest-growing restaurant chains. Owned by billionaire Tony Tan Caktiong, the Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) now has 19 brands spanning multiple countries, including Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Smashburger, Rick Bayless Tortazo, and Yoshinoya. The group also has ownership stakes in Burger King and Panda Express, among others.
The reach throughout the world of food and beverage is only growing, as JFC also has a 92% interest in Titan Dining LP, a private equity fund that owns the Tim Ho Wan dim sum brand — made famous for being the most inexpensive Michelin-starred restaurant in 2010. Additional investments include Taiwanese bubble tea chain Milksha, South Korea-headquartered Compose Coffee, Vietnamese chain Highlands Coffee, and San Francisco-based beverage technology company Botrista. It is Botrista’s work that allowed the 45-year-old chain to launch its latest drink offerings across the country, using Botrista’s proprietary drink dispensing technology for made-to-order fulfillment.
The focus on beverages within the larger Jollibee portfolio seems to be a strategic play to capitalize on consumers’ growing interest in customizable specialty drinks. The Signature Sips menu — which also includes the ability to add mango jelly or brown sugar boba to any order — debuted this month in the contiguous U.S., a company spokesperson tells Food & Wine, with plans to roll the menu out to other regions in the future.
“We approached the development of the Signature Sips menu with the goal of offering a premium drink experience that would both complement our best-selling food items and encourage people to try Jollibee for the first time,” Nick Bedell, marketing director of Jollibee North America, tells Food & Wine. “Our team drew inspiration from tropical flavors as we tested 46 flavor variations and hundreds of recipes over a rapid process of just 78 days. The result is the unique and refreshing selection we have today.”
“We’re thrilled to bring these new refreshing drinks to our customers and offer them an elevated and delightful beverage experience that complements our menu perfectly,” says Luis Velasco, senior vice president and marketing head at Jollibee Foods Corporation, North America. “Whether it’s a midday pick-me-up or a treat to enjoy with your meal, we want every sip to bring a little extra joy to your day.”
Here’s more about the new lineup:
Quenchers
The much-beloved Pineapple Quencher is no longer the lone flavor on the Jollibee Quencher menu. The colorful lineup served over ice now also includes the Tropical Breeze Quencher and the Dragonfruit Sunset Quencher.
The Tropical Breeze Quencher features a blend of strawberry, passionfruit, and coconut, which the brand describes as a “sweetened taste of paradise.” A tropical sunset offers inspiration for the Dragonfruit Sunset Quencher, which mixes mango and passionfruit, all topped with real pieces of dragon fruit.
Freezes
The Signature Sips lineup takes a truly frozen twist with the Freezes menu, three flavors deep in what is described as a “creamy frozen” blended drink.
The Coconut Dream Freeze is meant to replicate an “island escape” with coconut as the main flavor profile, while the Strawberry Bliss Freeze blends classic strawberry flavors. The Coffee Freeze departs from the fruit-based flavors of the lineup and uses cold-brew coffee blended into the freeze.
Teas and Cold Brew
Two new iced teas and a cold brew coffee make up the Premium Teas and Cold Brew Coffee portion of the new Signature Sips drink menu.
The Passionfruit Iced Tea pairs black tea with tropical passionfruit, while the Lychee Iced Tea mixes the brewed black tea with the floral taste of lychee. The Sweet Cream Cold Brew offers a slow-steeped cold coffee brew topped with a layer of sweet cream.
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