Kraft to sell Gevalia coffee in stores

Northfield-based Kraft Foods Inc. will begin selling its Gevalia coffee brand in grocery stores in August.

The company sees the move as a step into the premium coffee niche in the U.S. after losing a distribution agreement with former partner Starbucks Corp.

Gevalia has previously only been sold online or through mail order in the U.S., but globally is a nearly $400 million brand.

It increases Kraft's stake in the competitive coffee business. Kraft, based in Northfield, Ill., already has a $5 billion global coffee business with brands such as Maxwell House in the U.S. and a number of others popular overseas.