After selling their company, Sweet Leaf Tea, to Nestle in 2011, David and Elizabeth Smith set sail with their two children around the Caribbean. From that adventure, their next business, High Brew Coffee was born.

Story by Sarah Hollis

Photos by Marybeth Schmidt

During the late nights and warm weather of sailing, the Smiths wanted a caffeine boost without the added hot temperature. That’s when the two found out about cold-brewing and knew they had to make cold-brew coffee accessible to people. Once they returned home to Austin, the Smiths started working on perfecting their recipes and designing a brand that was suited to their ideal on-the-go market.

Founded in 2014, High Brew Coffee sets itself apart from other cold-brews by using fair-trade ingredients and a unique cold-brewing method. In cold-brewing, the coffee beans are roasted, ground and soaked in room-temperature water for hours to allow the flavor of the beans to fully emerge. After that milk, sugar and flavorings are added to create the different flavors carried by High Brew.

High Brew exclusively uses Fair Trade Certified arabica coffee beans, meaning the farmers with whom they work are fairly compensated for their labor. Arabica beans, as opposed to the more common robusta beans, have a smoother, fuller flavor. All of the wholesome ingredients that go into their products as well as their purposes are listed online to enable their customers to better understand what they consume. High Brew responds to the concerns of their customers, too. in March 2017, High Brew announced they would no longer be using Stevia in their products and would shift to using only pure cane sugar.

The cold-brewing process is what makes High Brew unique. High Brew was the first company to sell cold-brewed coffee in portable cans. The process of cold-brewing is preferable for two main reasons – it creates a more buttery, less acidic product and it contains double the amount of caffeine in regularly brewed coffee. This process is what makes High Brew’s motto of “better, not bitter!” ring true.

High Brew Coffee is sold in six flavors: Double Espresso, Mexican Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate Mocha,Dairy-Free Black & Bold and their new Creamy Cappuccino & Protein. Their flavors are full and subtly sweet without overwhelming the rich coffee flavor. Single cans are sold for around $2.29 while packs of four are sold for around $10. High Brew Coffee can be found at Whole Foods, HEB, Fresh Plus, Orange Market, Dobie Market and other locations across Austin. Plus, in 2016, High Brew became a part of the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, so its distribution will continue to grow across the country in the coming years.