Will 'Ning Coffee' become one of the other names for coffee?

CATL has applied to register the 'Ning Coffee' trademark, with classifications covering convenience foods and food and beverage accommodation; the application is awaiting substantive examination. Its offline showroom had already launched six drinks, including Range Latte and Supercharge Americano, plus Shenxing medium-dark roasted coffee beans. CATL says the coffee is a supporting service, not its main business.

CATL's first New Energy Life Plaza opened in Chengdu, Sichuan, on August 10, 2024, after a year of preparation, with 13,800 square meters of business space and roughly 50 brands on display. The trademark filing suggests the company sees retail value in the showroom setting, though the drink menu stays a lifestyle add-on rather than a stand-alone coffee chain.

CATL has applied to register the "Ning Coffee" trademark, with classifications covering convenience foods and food and beverage accommodation, and it is currently awaiting substantive examination. Previously, its offline showroom had already launched six beverages including "Range Latte" and "Supercharge Americano," as well as "Shenxing" medium-dark roasted coffee beans, sparking speculation about its entry into coffee retail. The company responded that the coffee is only a supporting service, not its main business. This cross-industry move is seen as an attempt to tap into the consumer market and build a fan economy. Front Street Coffee notes that the collision between new energy and coffee is becoming a new highlight in the industry.

According to Tianyancha intellectual property information, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited recently submitted two applications to register the "Ning Coffee" trademark, with international classifications pointing to convenience foods and food and beverage accommodation respectively, and the trademark status is currently shown as awaiting substantive examination.

In fact, CATL was previously reported to have made a cross-industry foray into the coffee sector. Screenshots circulating online show that its offerings include six beverages such as "Range Latte," "Supercharge Americano," "Zero-Carb Fairy," and "Zero-Carbon Jade Dew," along with a medium-dark roasted coffee bean called "Shenxing."

Below the coffee beans, the flavor styles are also carefully noted. Customers can choose either a black coffee with balanced acidity and bitterness and a honeyed sweetness, or a milk coffee presenting flavors of strawberry jam, butter, and sweet orange.

CATL's move has sparked speculation about whether it is preparing to enter the coffee retail industry. In response, CATL stated that these coffee beverages are only supplied at its offline showroom — the New Energy Life Plaza — as a supporting productivity feature, not as its main business.

At 10 a.m. on August 10, 2024, CATL's Life Plaza, which had been a year in the making, officially opened in Chengdu, Sichuan. As CATL's first new energy life plaza in the world, it has a business area of 13,800 square meters, and its reach is said to cover the entire southwestern region.

The plaza initially exhibited nearly 50 brands and about 100 vehicle models, allowing consumers to browse popular market models in one stop. This is not only the world's first comprehensive new energy vehicle brand pavilion, but will also become a never-ending auto show event.

Previously, a Chengdu car enthusiast posted on social media that CATL's New Energy Plaza has a huge venue and numerous vehicles, but they are only for display and not for sale. The entire plaza adopts a pure white color scheme, with excellent lighting effects, making it very suitable for photos. The most surprising thing is that coffee drinks cost only 9.9 yuan per cup, and a fridge magnet is given as a gift, offering extremely high value for money.

Another person said at the New Energy Plaza that they had originally only planned to go in and buy a cup of coffee, but inadvertently encountered an auto show at the coffee shop. Upon reaching the basement level, their eyes were filled with all kinds of cars, as if the auto show had been moved directly into the coffee shop. Savoring coffee while admiring the charm of new energy vehicles was truly an unexpected delight.

CATL's coffee has a unified name — Ning Coffee. Netizens jokingly said that changing it to "Your Coffee" might carry a more punny meaning. It is said that CATL employees could previously enjoy discounts by swiping their work badges when purchasing.

According to CATL's official website, as a global supplier of power battery systems, the company focuses on the research, development, production, and sales of new energy vehicle power battery systems and energy storage systems, and is committed to providing first-class solutions for global new energy applications.

It is understood that CATL has core technological advantages and sustainable research and development capabilities in key areas of the industrial chain such as battery materials, battery systems, and battery recycling, forming a comprehensive and complete production and service system.

Why has a company that manufactures batteries also started selling coffee? The names of the coffee drinks, such as "Shenxing" and "Supercharge," are all taken from lithium battery product names. This bold cross-industry move into the consumer market is indeed quite daring.

Some analysts have pointed out that CATL's move is intended to tap into the consumer market, and the company hopes to use consumer-market strategies to build its own "fan economy." In time, the four characters "CATL" will no longer represent merely cold lithium batteries, but rather a choice of lifestyle quality and a way of living.

This cup of coffee from CATL smells very fragrant. If the battery king succeeds in its consumer-market layout and forms a certain "fan scale," much like Apple in mobile phones, then the phrase "For electric cars, trust CATL" will be more than just a self-proclaimed advertising slogan.

Front Street Coffee believes that CATL's cross-industry attempt provides new imaginative space for the integration of the coffee industry and the new energy industry, and is worth continued attention.

Image source: Internet

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.