As described by Karen de Leeuw, Business Director of FreshFood Services, coffee is “the superhero drink that keeps the world going”.
In addition to the "pure pleasure" of drinking coffee, Ms. de Leeuw mentions a number of other advantages:
- Coffee helps fight fatigue and gives us a much-needed productivity boost, especially when we're having a slump at noon.
- Drinking coffee helps our minds focus efficiently and even allows us to absorb new information more quickly.
- Coffee increases our attention span, thinking ability and reaction time and reduces tension.
- Coffee is healthy and can reduce the risk of Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes (source: Mayo Clinic).
According to Sally Byrne, General Manager of Grinders Coffee, the coffee category has matured and become more sophisticated in the food sector for many years.
“Australians have a love affair with coffee and enjoy curating and creating the perfect cup at home. 48 percent of households own a coffee pad machine (JURA 2019 National Coffee Study), ”she says.
“Because people's movement patterns changed so dramatically during the pandemic, the coffee category saw growth in everything from coffee beans to capsules to the most unexpected segment of them all, instant coffee, which had been steadily declining for several years. ”
Citing current data, Ms. Byrne points to a "significant increase across the board" in roast and ground coffee and in capsules.
"Roast and ground coffee sales (including capsules, beans, and ground, flavored coffee) were $ 304 million, up 26 percent (IRI Aztec MAT from February 2021 last year)," she says.
“Capsules continue to increase as more Australians balance working from home with work in an office. Data shows that capsules are becoming the fastest growing segment in the coffee category, outperforming each category with 40 percent growth. "
Ms. de Leeuw adds that the category is also shaped by the trends in plant-based milk alternatives. Convenience, hygiene and portability through single servings and ready mixes; Sustainability, ethics and origins in procurement; and premiumization and innovation.
“It's a rapidly changing environment,” she says, “and the words of (Canadian Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau apply to the retail landscape too:“ The pace of change has never been faster, but it never will be. "that slowly again & # 39;. & # 39;
With the colder months ahead, it's more than fair to believe that this could have a significant positive impact on the coffee category.
Ms. Byrne clears this up, however, and says that while some think coffee is seasonal, it is perennial.
"Coffee sales don't change much with the seasons," she says. "People want to fix their caffeine no matter what."
For more information on coffee, see the May issue of Retail World.
