After breaking the record for the largest recorded one-year increase of past-day espresso consumption, 2017 proved to be a great year for gourmet coffee in the United States. This year’s National Coffee Drinking Trends (NCDT) Report revealed some staggering statistics, including the six percent increase in espresso consumption.
The trend seemed especially indicative for the rising popularity of “gourmet” coffee: more than half of all the coffee consumed in 2017 was gourmet, a full 13% increase from five years prior. This leap in popularity has encouraged growth for individual gourmet coffee shops, according to the census conducted by the NPD Group. The number of gourmet coffee shops now stands at 33,129 after a two percent increase from the year prior.
This increase in the number of coffee shops is in direct response to the amount of coffee consumers are drinking daily. Almost all age groups saw an increase in daily coffee consumption, reports the NCDT. Adults aged 40 and older saw the largest spikes in daily consumption, ranging between a 10% and 15% increase from the year before, followed by 25-39 year-olds at a nine percent increase, and then finally a three percent increase for 18-24 year olds.
This trend marked a shift in a previous NPD reported decline in the amount of individuals who have claimed drinking coffee within the last day. The last time the trend was positive was 2013.
Chain coffee shops, such as Peet’s Coffee or Starbucks also enjoyed growth due to the rising popularity of gourmet coffee, with shop units increasing by 5.9% in the last census period.
With such a surge in specialty coffee popularity, it’s important to note that the market is likely a long way off from saturation. A recent report from the Washington post concluded that countries like Brazil, Canada, as well as the European Union drink significantly more coffee per capita. This, along with the recent rate of growth, signifies that the growth may yet continue, as well as promotes the idea of an expansive international market.
After this year's exceptionally positive reports, specialty and gourmet coffee makers can likely look forward to increasing demand and growth in the coming years.