Brewing a Smarter Energy Strategy with Eight O'Clock Coffee

Eight O’Clock Coffee is one of America’s original coffee brands, with a long-standing reputation for quality, consistency, and operational excellence. Supporting a national footprint requires dependable infrastructure behind the scenes, particularly in energy-intensive processing environments. At its Landover, Maryland facility, where coffee processing operations demand both reliability and efficiency, energy plays a critical role in maintaining seamless production.

A Long-Term Partnership Build in Insight

5 has supported Eight O’Clock Coffee at this location since 2017, providing advisory services across both natural gas and electricity. Over that time, 5’s energy advisor has developed a strong understanding of the facility’s operational needs, enabling more strategic and informed decision-making. This long-term relationship has positioned 5 not just as a vendor, but as a trusted partner in navigating increasingly complex energy markets.

Evolving the Electricity Strategy

Historically, Eight O’Clock Coffee maintained a traditional approach to natural gas procurement, utilizing an all-in fixed structure to provide budget certainty. On the electricity side, however, evolving market dynamics, particularly rising capacity costs, created an opportunity to rethink their strategy. Working closely with 5, the team transitioned from an all-in fixed electricity product to a capacity pass-through structure, allowing for greater transparency into cost components and more flexibility in responding to market conditions.

Timing the Market Shift

This shift proved especially timely. With capacity markets reaching elevated levels, locking into a fully fixed structure would have limited the company’s ability to capitalize on capacity market corrections. By moving to this different product structure model, Eight O’Clock Coffee gained better visibility into its cost drivers and avoided overcommitting in a volatile environment. The result is a more informed, strategic approach to electricity procurement that aligns with current market realities.

A Holistic Energy Portfolio Approach

An additional advantage of the partnership with 5 is the coordinated management of both natural gas and electricity. When these commodities are handled separately, companies can unintentionally become over- or under-hedged, increasing risk or missing opportunities. By taking a holistic view, 5 helps ensure that both sides of the energy portfolio are aligned with operational goals and market conditions, reducing inefficiencies and improving overall outcomes.

A True Extension of the Team

Jill Galello, Procurement Manager and primary U.S. point of contact for Eight O’Clock Coffee, relies on this integrated approach. “Our energy advisor at 5 has become a true extension of our team,” she said. “Whether it’s natural gas, electricity, or broader market guidance, I know I can rely on them to provide clear, thoughtful recommendations that help us make better decisions.”

5 is proud to support Eight O’Clock Coffee at their Landover, Maryland facility, delivering the insight, consistency, and trust needed to navigate today’s energy landscape.