Nabob
A Canadian coffee brand established in Vancouver in 1896 and currently owned by The Kraft Heinz Company.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Nabob is a Canadian coffee brand with roots in Vancouver, British Columbia, where the Nabob Coffee Company originated in 1896. Its early coffee was processed and packaged at the facilities of Kelly Douglas Limited, a Vancouver food manufacturer. The brand name comes from “nabob,” an Anglo-Indian term historically used for a notably wealthy person who had made a fortune in the Orient during the British colonial period. The brand initially developed as a regional Canadian coffee offering. German food company Jacobs acquired Nabob in 1976. Under Jacobs ownership, the brand was expanded beyond Western Canada beginning in 1978, reaching Central and Eastern Canada. Quebec was the final Canadian province to receive the brand, and Nabob had nationwide distribution by 1986. Nabob changed corporate ownership again in 1994. Kraft Foods acquired the brand after Philip Morris combined Kraft General Foods Europe with Jacobs Suchard to create Kraft Jacobs Suchard. Because Nabob was a North American brand associated with the Jacobs Suchard portfolio, it was transferred to Kraft General Foods’ North American business. In 2012, Kraft Foods separated into Kraft Foods Group and Mondelez International. Kraft Foods Group retained the North American coffee brands, including Nabob, while Mondelez received the international coffee brands. Kraft Foods Group subsequently merged with H. J. Heinz Company in 2015, creating The Kraft Heinz Company, which remains Nabob’s owner. Nabob’s principal business is packaged coffee sold through Canadian supermarkets and other retail channels. Its range has included whole-bean and ground coffee in multiple roast levels and blends, including dark-roast, medium-roast, decaffeinated, Colombian, organic, and espresso offerings. The brand has also been closely associated with Tassimo single-serve brewing in Canada. Beginning in 2006, Nabob became the primary coffee brand used for Canadian Tassimo products, which were sold as barcode-enabled T Discs for the Tassimo brewing system. The Nabob Tassimo range included brewed coffee, espresso, latte, and cappuccino formats, with some milk-based beverages using an additional milk disc. Nabob’s identity is primarily Canadian rather than global. Its historical expansion was national within Canada, and the available reference material describes its retail presence and product development in that market. The brand remains positioned as a broad supermarket coffee portfolio rather than as a narrowly focused specialty-coffee label. Its long operating history, nationwide distribution, variety of roast profiles, and integration with a major single-serve platform have been central to its continued presence in Canadian coffee retail.
History
Nabob traces its history to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1896, when the Nabob Coffee Company began producing and selling coffee in Western Canada. The company’s coffee was processed and packaged at the factory of Kelly Douglas Limited, a Vancouver food manufacturing business. The brand name was drawn from the historical Anglo-Indian word “nabob,” which referred to a conspicuously wealthy person associated with fortunes made in the Orient during the British colonial era. For much of its early history, Nabob was a regional Canadian brand. Its ownership changed in 1976, when German coffee company Jacobs purchased the business. Jacobs used its expanded corporate resources to broaden Nabob’s distribution. Starting in 1978, the brand moved into Central and Eastern Canada. This expansion proceeded province by province, with Quebec being the last province to receive Nabob. By 1986, the brand was available throughout Canada, transforming it from a Western Canadian offering into a national supermarket coffee brand. Nabob entered the Kraft corporate structure in 1994. The change followed Philip Morris’s combination of Kraft General Foods Europe and Jacobs Suchard to form Kraft Jacobs Suchard. Nabob was treated as a North American brand and transferred to Kraft General Foods’ North American operations rather than remaining with the international coffee portfolio. This distinction became important during Kraft’s later corporate restructuring. In 2012, Kraft Foods separated into two publicly traded businesses: Kraft Foods Group and Mondelez International. Kraft Foods Group retained the North American grocery business and its North American coffee brands, including Nabob, while Mondelez received the international coffee brands. Nabob therefore continued as part of Kraft Foods Group’s Canadian portfolio. In 2015, Kraft Foods Group merged with H. J. Heinz Company, forming The Kraft Heinz Company. Nabob is currently owned by Kraft Heinz. Product development has included a broad range of packaged coffee formats. The brand has offered whole-bean and ground coffees in light, medium, and dark roast styles, as well as decaffeinated, Colombian, organic, and espresso products. Named blends have included Breakfast Blend, 1896 Tradition, Summit 100% Colombian, Full City Dark, Golden Java Sumatra, Gastown Grind, Midnight Eclipse, Espresso, and Swiss Water decaffeinated variants. A notable later development was Nabob’s relationship with the Tassimo single-serve brewing system. From 2006, Nabob served as the primary coffee brand for Tassimo in Canada. Its products were sold as T Discs, which used the Tassimo system’s barcode technology to control brewing parameters. The range included regular brewed coffees, espresso, lattes, and cappuccinos. Some milk-based drinks used an additional disc containing a condensed milk product alongside the coffee disc. Nabob’s history is consequently defined by regional origin, nationwide Canadian expansion, several major corporate ownership transitions, and adaptation to single-serve brewing. The available reference material identifies Canada as the brand’s market and does not establish a separate international operating footprint or an independent corporate headquarters in the present day.
- 2015
Kraft Heinz ownership
[1]The merger of Kraft Foods Group and Heinz creates The Kraft Heinz Company, which becomes Nabob’s owner.
- 2012
Retention by Kraft Foods Group
[1]Nabob remains with Kraft Foods Group after Kraft Foods separates from Mondelez International.
- 2006
Tassimo product development
[1]Nabob becomes the primary Canadian coffee brand for Tassimo products and begins offering a broad range of T Discs.
- 1994
Transfer into Kraft’s North American portfolio
[1]Following the formation of Kraft Jacobs Suchard, Nabob is moved into Kraft General Foods’ North American business.
- 1986
Nationwide Canadian availability
[1]Nabob reaches Quebec, the final province in its national Canadian rollout.
- 1978
Eastern expansion begins
[1]Jacobs begins extending Nabob’s distribution into Central and Eastern Canada.
- 1976
Acquisition by Jacobs
[1]German coffee company Jacobs purchases Nabob.
- 1896
Nabob originates in Vancouver
[1]The Nabob Coffee Company begins in Vancouver, British Columbia, with coffee processed and packaged through Kelly Douglas Limited.
Products and positioning
A long-established Canadian supermarket coffee brand offering accessible blends across roast levels and formats, including conventional packaged coffee and Tassimo-compatible single-serve products.
Medium-roast packaged coffee
Nabob 1896 Tradition
A named Nabob blend associated with the brand’s founding year. It has been offered as a conventional packaged coffee and also in a Swiss Water decaffeinated variant.
Medium-roast packaged coffee
Nabob Breakfast Blend
A lighter-bodied everyday coffee blend in the Nabob portfolio, positioned for routine brewed-coffee consumption and available among the brand’s supermarket offerings.
Colombian coffee
Nabob Summit 100% Colombian
A coffee identified as 100% Colombian within the Nabob range. The product has been offered in both regular and Swiss Water decaffeinated forms.
Dark-roast coffee
Nabob Full City Dark
A dark-roast blend designed for consumers seeking a fuller and more developed roast profile within Nabob’s conventional packaged-coffee range.
Espresso coffee
Nabob Espresso
An espresso-oriented coffee offering that extends Nabob’s range beyond standard filter-brewed formats and also appears in its Tassimo-compatible product development.
Single-serve coffee · 2006
Nabob Tassimo T Discs
A Canadian range of barcode-enabled T Discs for the Tassimo brewing system. The range has included brewed coffee, espresso, latte, and cappuccino products, with some milk beverages using an additional milk disc.
Brand decisions
2015
Merge Kraft Foods Group with HeinzM&ABackground
Kraft Foods Group and H. J. Heinz Company combined their businesses.
Action taken
The merger created The Kraft Heinz Company, which assumed ownership of Nabob.
Aftermath
Nabob remained a Canadian coffee brand within the Kraft Heinz portfolio.
2012
Retain Nabob in Kraft Foods GroupStrategyBackground
Kraft Foods divided its operations between Kraft Foods Group and Mondelez International.
Action taken
Nabob was retained by Kraft Foods Group along with the North American coffee brands.
Aftermath
Nabob continued as part of Kraft Foods Group’s Canadian portfolio before the company’s 2015 merger with Heinz.
2006
Develop Nabob products for TassimoProduct launchBackground
The Tassimo system introduced barcode-controlled single-serve brewing and required compatible beverage discs.
Action taken
Nabob became the primary Canadian coffee brand for Tassimo and introduced multiple T Disc varieties.
Aftermath
The brand extended into single-serve coffee, espresso, latte, and cappuccino formats in Canada.
1994
Move Nabob into Kraft’s North American businessM&ABackground
The creation of Kraft Jacobs Suchard brought together Kraft and Jacobs Suchard assets, including Nabob.
Action taken
Nabob was transferred to Kraft General Foods’ North American portfolio.
Aftermath
The brand remained associated with Kraft’s North American coffee business through subsequent corporate reorganizations.
1978
Expand Nabob beyond Western CanadaStrategyBackground
After Jacobs acquired Nabob, the brand was still primarily associated with Western Canada.
Action taken
Jacobs extended distribution into Central and Eastern Canada.
Aftermath
The expansion continued until Nabob was available nationwide by 1986.
Sources1 sources
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