Their Cups Runneth Over

Judging by its heated promotional campaign, General Foods has decided that what the U.S. needs is the company's new decaffeinated coffee, called Brim. In markets from Boston to Los Angeles, General Foods offered consumers a tempting introductory discount of $1 on each purchase of Brim, which regularly costs $2.09 for an eight-ounce jar. Television is Brimming with commercials. In one, a wife rations out her husband's coffee to spare him the effects of caffeine. He moans: "They can send a man to the moon, they can send rockets to Mars--why can't they make a cup of coffee I like without caffeine?"

In fact, "they" have. Sanka dominates the decaffeinated market. Curiously, Sanka prices are exactly the same as Brim's, and both brands are "97% caffeine-free." Even more curiously, Sanka is made by none other than General Foods, which is pushing its new Brim. GF officials insist that Brim is aimed at people who want a heartier flavor than mild-tasting Sanka and that the new brand will not drain sales from the old one. Despite these assurances, the people at GF who are responsible for Sanka's success have strong grounds for coffee nerves, and investors will be interested to see whether internecine warfare in the marketplace will really perk up sales for the company.

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