Can a tea brand ‘end bitterness?’

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I grew up drinking Luzianne tea on my front porch. We served it at every family picnic and it was a staple within our refrigerator. The Luzianne brand epitomized “sweet tea,” and was considered the standard southern beverage.

The company’s recent new product line is “Luzianne Coffee,” with a clever campaign to “end bitterness.” While I love the call to action of the new initiative, will this simple brand extension dilute the equity they have in their famous tea brand? With Luzianne’s heritage as a cool, refreshing, afternoon front porch beverage, will it be difficult for the company to successfully cross over into the hot, wake-you-up in the morning coffee space?

Would a new or different name be better suited for this new product line?

I can understand using a brand extension strategy to move into bottled teas, or even a type of flavored water or lemonade. But coffee? Interestingly enough, the founder of Luzianne started the company to roast, grind, package and distribute canned coffee in 1902. Tea was added to the product line in later years. In 1968, the efforts began to reposition Luzianne Tea as the perfect iced tea beverage, and the product has become the number two selling brand in the United States. So with an origin in coffee, and a reposition into tea, and now a new coffee introduction, is the brand at risk for losing credibility in the beverage market?