How did we get here?
Coffee consumption was in decline throughout Europe up till the mid-90s. Remember how hard it was to get a decent cup of coffee? Remember what proper coffee tasted like then - filter coffee heated for several hours or more on those hot plates?
Then coffee chains started arriving from the States and suddenly people were expecting skinny lattes instead of murky grey instant.
Now demand for high quality coffee is increasing all across Europe. In the UK we're especially big on grab and go drinks, a trend which gives coffee bars a big impetus. Already the out of home coffee spend in the UK is around 10 billion a year. That's a lot of cash.
What are the trends?
- More and more people are moving from instant to roast and ground coffee
- People are increasingly choosing to drink richer, stronger blends
- Real coffee is expanding out of the core cafe market and into areas like pubs, restaurants, convenience stores and petrol stations
- 40% of coffee devotees are regularly drinking speciality coffees
- Coffee is no longer seen as exclusively a morning drink but something to be enjoyed all day
And beyond coffee?
This decade has seen rapidly accelerating growth of demand for speciality drinks of all sorts. That includes flavoured coffees as well as things like frappes, chai, Italian sodas and smoothies. In the past couple of years in particular, customers have begun to realise the degree of customisation available to them. The more adventurous and individual have chosen their own drinks - a cappuccino with a dash of hazelnut syrup, say - and its certain that this trend is only going to grow.
So, the lessons of all this?
Simple. Give the customers the good stuff. Proper drinks, properly made from quality ingredients. Then give them drinks to differentiate you from your competition. Let them see that they've got choices they didn't even know were available. Let them experiment.
But most of all, give them impeccably made drinks that deliver what they're supposed to deliver. No more cappuccinos with undrinkable fluffy froth sitting on top of over-strong, overheated, muddy coffee. No more lukewarm lattes. Just the good stuff.