Boss Coffee
 Logo used in Japan | |
 | |
| Type | Iced coffee |
|---|---|
| Distributor | Suntory (Japan) Suntory Oceania (International) |
| Origin | Japan |
| Website | www |
Boss (ボス, Bosu), marketed outside of Japan as Suntory Boss Coffee, is a brand name of canned and plastic bottled coffee and coffee-flavored beverages sold by Suntory in Japan. From 1992 to 2019 the brand was exclusive to Japan, gaining a cult following. Since 2019, it was introduced to various international markets, most notably in the Australian market, where it has since grown to become the market leader.[1][2]
In Australia and New Zealand, the brand is distributed by Suntory Oceania, the same owner as the V energy drink, which had notable established distribution infrastructure in the region prior to the introduction of Boss Coffee.[3]
Boss Coffee primarily competes in the Australian market with Oak, Ice Break, Farmers Union Iced Coffee and Dare Iced Coffee. Initially, all of Suntory Boss' competitors were sold in plastic bottle or milk carton packaging, which was the mainstream in Australia prior to the arival of Japanese canned coffee, until April of 2025 when Dare released Dare Charged, a stronger version of its original iced coffee in a 240ml can as a direct domestic competer to Suntory Boss' dominance in the Australian market.[4]
History
[edit]
Boss was first released in 1992 and is one of many brands of Japanese canned coffee. Since 2006, American actor Tommy Lee Jones has appeared in a series of TV commercials and billboards for the brand,[5][6] becoming one of the most recognised faces in Japan.[7]
The Suntory Boss brand was launched in Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. in 2019, with two products.[8][9][10] In the U.S., Australian and New Zealand product lines, the logo does not include a pipe.[10] Outside of the Japanese domestic markets, specifically in Australia, the brand markets itself in a way that emphasizes its Japanese origin, likely due to the prevelance of the Cool Japan subculture in Australia, with commercials that typically display working class Japanese environments with the drink motivating the worker to acheive better with the slogan "How Japan Can".[11]
Gallery
[edit]-
A stacking of Australian cans of Double Espresso variety Boss Coffee -
Variation of Boss Coffee distributed exclusively for 7-Eleven -
Caramel flavour of Boss Coffee -
Cafe Latte flavour sold under the "Craft Boss" subbrand -
Black Coffee flavour sold under the "Craft Boss" subbrand -
A can of Black Coffee style Boss Coffee -
Mocha flavoured Boss Coffee paired with Shin Ramyun -
"Pride of Boss" variety paired with a Japari-man from FamilyMart
.jpg)
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "ConnectWeb - News & Articles". connectweb.com.au. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ^ "Fan favourite returns to stores | RW". retailworldmagazine.com.au. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
- ^ "Non-alcohol". Suntory Oceania. Retrieved 2026-02-25.
- ^ "Dare charges up with strongest RTD coffee yet - Food & Drink Business". www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
- ^ "Tommy Lee Jones is Big in Japan and Boss Coffee is His Lifeblood". Slashfilm. 2017-11-02. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
- ^ Yamaguchi, Yuki; Huang, Grace (January 18, 2014). "Suntory chief takes family business goal". The Miami Herald. p. C4. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ "Tommy Lee Jones in Japan: Fifteen Years as "The Alien"". nippon.com. 2020-10-05. Archived from the original on 2020-10-05. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
He's become one of the country's most recognizable faces through his appearances as the "Alien Jones" observer of terrestrial life in a series of popular commercials for Suntory's ubiquitous Boss brand of canned coffee.
- ^ "Japan's Suntory Boss Coffee lands in Australia". 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- ^ "BOSS Coffee Launches in the US". 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
- ^ a b "Japan's #1 favourite Suntory Boss Coffee brand lands in New Zealand". 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- ^ "BOSS Coffee launches in Australia with 'How Japan Can' campaign via Clemenger BBDO Sydney". Campaign Brief. 2019-10-29. Retrieved 2026-02-15.
External links
[edit]
| Shushoku |
| ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okazu | |||||||||
| Soup (shirumono) | |||||||||
| Set menu | |||||||||
| Beverages |
| ||||||||
| Snacks, sweets, and wagashi | |||||||||
| Fruit | |||||||||
| Ingredients and condiments | |||||||||
| Utensils | |||||||||
| Lists | |||||||||
| Related | |||||||||
 | This coffee-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |