An Interview with Nolo: Can decaf coffee really compete with a regular cup? ☕

Most of us have a complicated relationship with coffee. We love it, but at some point in the day, it stops being a pleasure and starts being a calculation — is it too late, will I sleep, should I risk it?

Nolo thinks that's a problem worth solving. The plant-based, cold-brew, high-fibre brand wants to give coffee drinkers their whole day back.

Their answer…decaf.

But not the flat and dim decaf you’re used to.

We sat down with the team to find out the story behind Nolo and the question on everyone’s mind. Can decaf coffee really compete with a regular cup?

Decaf has a reputation problem. How hard has it been to convince people to give it a real chance?

Decaf definitely has baggage. For a long time it was treated like the compromise version of coffee - and visually coded that way too, with pale blue packaging and a general sense of “less than the real thing”.

Two things help us. First, ready-to-drink decaf is still new, so there’s natural curiosity. Second, Nolo doesn’t look apologetic. The packaging tells you this is meant to taste good before you’ve even opened the can.

Then, when people look closer, they see 100% Arabica beans, water-decaffeinated coffee and cold brewed. Those details matter - that’s where the good taste lies - and they signal that this is not going to be the disappointing decaf people might remember.

Who did you picture drinking Nolo when you were developing it? Has that customer surprised you at all?

Initially, we imagined a health-conscious, urban coffee lover in their late twenties - someone motivated, switched on, and quite deliberate about how much caffeine they allow into their day.

But the more people we speak to, the more we realise caffeine management is much broader than that. Lots of people love coffee, but they’re doing a negotiation with caffeine all day - one more cup, too late, bad sleep, afternoon jitters, the crash.

What surprised us is that the desire is there. People just haven’t been given a compelling way to keep coffee in their day while dropping the caffeine.

Where does the name Nolo come from? What significance does it hold, if any?

One inspiration was “No Low” - the idea of no more caffeine crashes, and the wider no-and-low movement you see in alcohol.

We explored both no- and low-caffeine ideas in earlier versions of the concept, although of course we don’t call Nolo “no caffeine” because decaf coffee still contains a small amount.

Mostly, we liked how Nolo sounded and looked. It felt simple, memorable and modern. And it made sense to take a language people already understand from alcohol - no and low - and apply it to coffee.

What was the inspiration behind the brand? How did it start?

The original idea came from our co-founders Max and Binky Darnton.

Max was in New York, three coffees into the day, and had a caffeine-induced panic attack in an important meeting. Around the same time, Binky was pregnant and avoiding caffeine. They both tried switching to decaf and found the experience pretty disappointing.

That was the spark. They realised there was a real opportunity to make decaf coffee that didn’t feel like a compromise.

How are you maintaining the punch of regular coffee without the caffeine? What’s the science behind it?

The simple answer is that caffeine doesn’t drive the taste of coffee. Taste comes from the quality of the beans, the roast and the brewing process.

Historically, decaffeination methods stripped flavour out of the bean, which is one of the reasons decaf developed such a bad reputation. But modern processes like water decaffeination are much gentler, and preserve the flavour compounds in the coffee.

Then we cold brew, which gives a smooth, intense coffee flavour. So high quality beans, water decaffeination and cold brew and you have a great-tasting decaf.

Are new flavours in the works? And what’s in the future for Nolo products — energy bars, coffee ice cream?

Yes, new flavours are definitely on the horizon. Classic gives us a really strong base to build from, and Caramel Swirl has had a great response, so expanding the range feels like a natural next step.

Anything where a decaf version could genuinely make sense is interesting to us. But it probably won’t be an energy bar. We see Nolo as the anti-energy drink. There’s already so much caffeine out there. We’re more interested in coffee that helps you take a moment, not force another one.

Why oat milk and not traditional dairy? Will you expand to other milk alternatives?

We didn’t want to bother the cows.

Also, oat milk tastes great in coffee. It gives a creamy texture and a natural softness that works really well with cold brew.

We’re open to other options too, and we’re currently looking at coconut milk as a possible addition to the range - partly because coconut and coffee can be such a good combination, and partly because coconut people are very loyal people.

What does success look like for Nolo in three years? Are you trying to change how people think about decaf entirely?

Yes, in a way. We think coffee becomes much bigger when you take caffeine out of the equation.

People love the taste of coffee, but caffeine puts limits around when and how they drink it. It keeps coffee trapped in the morning, tied to productivity and performance. Decaf opens up the afternoon, the evening, the second coffee, the coffee you drink because you want the taste rather than the stimulation.

In three years, success would mean Nolo helping make decaf feel genuinely desirable - not the compromise option, but a new way to enjoy coffee on your own terms.

Nolo is a simple idea executed well — great coffee, without the caffeine compromise. If the interview has you curious, you can explore the full range at wearenolo.com.

And if you're ready to try it for yourself, you can add a case to your Taly order today!