Maxwell House is doing some downsizing. For a limited time, it’s changing its name to Maxwell Apartment.
Just in time for National Coffee Day, the coffee brand owned by the Kraft Heinz Company announced that while supplies last, it’s selling a year’s supply of its specially packaged coffee for just $40 on Amazon, or what it’s calling a 12-month “lease.” It’s the same exact coffee, just cheaper at about 10 cents less per ounce. (It also has a new name for the first time in 133 years.)
The brand cites statistics that coffee drinkers could save more than $1,000 a year with the offer compared to daily cafe runs. That’s not enough for a down payment on a home, but it’s something, and it comes as coffee prices—not to mention home prices—are on the rise.
“Two-thirds of American adults drink coffee every day, which can add up quickly, especially these days,” Holly Ramadan, head of coffee for North America for Kraft Heinz, said in a statement.
Brewing a comeback
Ground coffee saw the highest inflation rate in any category except for eggs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, thanks to factors like supply issues, tariffs, and volatile weather.
“Maxwell House believes no one should have to go without great tasting coffee, and Maxwell Apartment delivers the same delicious taste people know and love, at a value that celebrates all our fans are doing to make smart choices in their lives,” Ramadan said.
Maxwell House’s parent company Kraft Heinz saw net sales of about $26 billion in 2024, but it announced this month that it’s splitting into two publicly traded companies about a decade after merging.
The split comes as the company’s total revenue and stock has fallen, and amid a wider trend away from processed foods. Kraft Heinz said the breakup would help reduce operational complexity, drive efficiencies, and allow each company the give more attention and resources to their specific portfolios.
Maxwell House will join the half of the company now being called North American Grocery Co., which will get custody of portfolio of well-known food and beverage brands like Oscar Mayer, Kraft Singles, Capri Sun, Lunchables, and Ore-Ida.
The Maxwell Apartment promotion is part of a larger effort that Maxwell House says it has planned this fall to emphasize value and consistent flavor. And at a time of rising costs and in a competitive landscape of private label brands, that’s exactly what a national brand would have to do to succeed.