Coffee Consumption Is Up After Four Years of Decline

AUSTIN, Texas — The steady decline of coffee-drinking has come to a halt, according to the 2017 National Coffee Drinking Trends report from the National Coffee Association, which shows consumption is back on the rise.

The National Coffee Drinking Trends report surveyed 3,000 people, of which 62 percent reported drinking coffee the previous day — up five percentage points from last year’s survey. Of that 62 percent, nearly a quarter had opted for an espresso-based beverage the previous day, compared to 18 percent in 2016.

Gourmet coffee-drinking is on the rise, with 59 percent of daily coffee drinkers indulging regularly in gourmet coffee this year, a 13-percent increase. And specialty coffee beverages are becoming a part of regular coffee drinkers’ weekly consumption habits: frozen/blended (14 percent), cold brew (11 percent), and nitrogen-infused coffee (3 percent).

“More of us are drinking coffee, and younger consumers appear to be leading the charge,” said Bill Murray, CEO of National Coffee Association USA. “A steadily growing taste for gourmet varieties is also driving a wider trend toward specialty beverages.”

The biggest coffee drinkers by age are those 60-plus (68 percent), followed by those aged 40-59 (64 percent), 25-39 (63 percent), 18-24 (50 percent) and 13-18 (37 percent).

While those between the ages of 25-29 are in the middle of the pack when it comes to daily consumption, they are the biggest consumers of gourmet coffee (50 percent).

The 40-59 age bracket saw the biggest increase in daily coffee drinkers (11 percent), as well as the biggest increase in regular gourmet coffee drinkers (15 percent).

Click here to read more from Convenience Store News sister publication Gourmet Retailer.