We look at the National Coffee Association's latest article which discusses the ever changing coffee market.
Taken from the National Coffee Association's blog on "What are we drinking?" We take a look at the latest trend article from the NCA and break down some of the highlights!
San Diego, CA (March 21, 2016) - Daily consumption of espresso-based beverages has nearly tripled since 2008, says the NCA's 2016 NCA National Coffee Drinking Trends (NCDT), released Saturday at the NCA Annual Convention. At 18% of U.S. adult consumers in 2016, it signals a promising category shift, supported by younger consumer tastes, that outpaces flat overall consumption.
What this means: Specialty coffee is bigger than ever! Millennials are demanding high quality coffee in every purchasing opportunity. More than ever it is of the utmost importance to provide high quality coffee at your restaurant or office to keep the new generation appeased, happy and productive!
And it's Millennials who are driving the increase. Between 2008 and 2016, past-day consumption of gourmet coffee beverages soared from 13% to 36% among 18-24 year olds and from 19% to 41% for those 25-39. For espresso-based beverages alone, the jumps become 9% to 22% for the 18-24 group and 8% to 29% for those 25-39.
"Consumption trends and generational patterns seem to be syncing up in promising ways," said Bill Murray, NCA president and CEO. "As younger consumers enter the category in larger numbers, their tastes are supporting broader trends in consumer behavior."
Overall, consumption of past-day gourmet coffee beverages remains strong at 31%, on par with last year, but up from 24% in 2008. Similarly, past-day espresso-based beverage drinking is up by two percentage points over last year, coming in at 18%, nearly three times 2008's 7%.
At the same time, the influx of younger consumers into the category is part of an even larger pattern. Daily coffee consumption among 18-24 year olds nearly doubled between 2000 and 2016, jumping from 25% to 48%, and among those 25-39 it rose by 18%, from 42% to 60%.
What this means: Millennials love coffee! This is great news for coffee providers everywhere. The market isn't going anywhere and if anything trends suggest it will only go up.
Other data from the 2016 NCDT show that older Millennials, the 25-39 group, are the most likely group to drink gourmet coffee beverages weekly, along with specific options including cappuccino, latte, café mocha, espresso, macchiato, flat white and cold-brew coffee. The younger Millennials, however, edge them out in frozen blended coffee. Overall, though, Millennials far outstrip consumption of all gourmet coffee beverage varieties among the 40-59 and 60+ age groups.
