Coffee considerations tastes and trends.

Coffee

considerations

In meeting changing customer expectations, café and coffee shop operators are now required to keep a range of factors in mind from taste to beverage style and sustainability credentials when selecting types of coffee to serve.

EMERGING TRENDS

“In the UK, coffee has moved away from classic strong, bitter fl avours which used to polarise consumers to a more diverse range of coffee fl avour profi les, attracting a wider consumer audience and resulting in increased coffee consumption. The younger generation of coffee drinkers are now looking for 100% Arabica, lighter roasted coffee, with lighter and fruiter notes,” reports Lavazza brand ambassador and head of training, David Cutler.

“Another emerging trend in coffee is experience. Specifi cally, baristas are offering their customers new, exciting and often elaborate serving suggestions to help create a unique coffee experience. This has resulted in a rise in coffee pairings, cocktails or simply new recipes to enlarge the experience beyond a more traditional offer.

“Social media has also played a signifi cant role, bringing a plethora of coffee trends to the fore, such as Dalgona coffee, which consumers are recreating at home. In turn, coffee shops and bars are also looking to put their own spin on these trends which attracts this younger generation.”

Needless to say, Lavazza would always recommend freshly brewed coffee and trained baristas where possible. However, some businesses need to look at alternative ways to produce great quality coffee, they acknowledge - particularly as it is becoming increasingly diffi cult to fi nd trained baristas at an affordable cost for small businesses. Some businesses, for instance, are now looking to mitigate quality and costs associated with this through technology, such as capsule systems, which enable production of a quality cappuccino at the touch of a button.

“We are also living in an era of conscious living, where people tend to associate with brands who share the same values,” David Cutler continues.

“Consumers are looking for products that go beyond looking, or tasting, good and want products that do good as well. Coffee resonates with this new wave of conscious consumers. For example, Lavazza’s La Reserva de ¡Tierra! range refl ects the brand’s active commitment to sustainability through the Lavazza Foundation, which supports local communities in coffee countries, including training in sustainable agriculture and promoting gender equality within families and communities

“Coffee businesses also need to keep in mind the area in which the business is set up. For example, in main cities coffee offerings are likely to be more artisanal, focusing on a lighter roasted serve. In more rural areas, coffee tastes are slightly more traditional, and you may want to choose a coffee that is a darker roasted and more comfortable fl avour profi le. Milk-based drinks, such as lattes, are the number one best-selling drink on coffee menus according to Allegra Café Project UK data, so it is important for businesses to choose a coffee that takes milk or plant-based milk well.”

A MORE INFORMED CONSUMER

“The variety of the coffee should be a key consideration when café and coffee shop owners are looking at their sourcing options. Increasingly, people are becoming more informed on the different types of coffee and more aware of their personal preferences – such as dark roasts versus milder, lighter roasts – and they expect those preferences to be catered for,” says Ross Schofi eld, commercial director at Lincoln & York.

“As a private label coffee roaster, at Lincoln & York we take a customercentric approach and are able to offer more than 600 different blend options. What’s more, coffee knowledge is the foundation of our business, and we have our two in-house Q-Graders on-hand to provide guidance and advice to create the perfect blend.

“By adding just one or two additional coffee options, for example, businesses can stand out against competitors by offering tailored drinks based on consumer preference, tapping into a wider customer base than before. Thanks to our state-of-the-art

manufacturing facilities, and our fl exible approach with roasters ranging from 30kg to 600kg, we can cater to a variety of customers making it possible for café and coffee shop owners to try guest roasts or new blends, in turn offering variety to their customers.”

Café and coffee shop owners also need to be able to keep up with changing trends in the coffee industry itself, advise Lincoln & York, such as the rise of cold brew coffee, which was the second-quickest growing beverage product in the UK at 34% (Allegra Insights, Project Café 2019) and shows little signs of slowing.

With hot beverage sales dipping on average 12% over the summer months, the ability to adapt an offering is key to maintaining coffee sales for coffee shops and cafés. Cold brew coffee, for instance, has a longer steeping process, the result of which is often a better quality, smooth, low acidity drink compared hot brew served ‘iced’.

“At Lincoln & York we want to enable our customers to stay on top of the latest trends, which is why we specially developed Black Eye Cold Brew. Available in a ready to drink 10 litre or three litre format, it allows café and coffee shop owners to offer a new product line without the need for expensive or complex equipment to stay competitive. Never wanting to compromise on quality, the coffee inside is brewed for 14 hours to maximise fl avour and can be served black, with milk, plant-based milk, or upgraded to nitro cold brew,” says Ross Schofi eld.

Recent research has also found that 52% of us choose to make purchase decisions based on a brand’s eco–credentials – with 21% actively not purchasing a specifi c product over environmental concerns (YouGov, Eco Credentials Impact Purchase Choice, 21 July 2021). During the pandemic, consumers became even more environmentally conscious, which in turn saw more businesses adapting to produce environmentally friendly products. For café and coffee shop owners, this means tapping into the ecoconscious consumer psyche and being confi dent in sustainability credentials should be easier than ever before, propose Lincoln & York.

“At Lincoln & York, sustainability is a core business value and we are constantly reviewing our business practices to ensure we stay true to this. Our award-winning packaging helps coffee shop owners on their mission to meet the needs of eco conscious consumers due to the ease in which it can be recycled. Furthermore, we are committed to recognising and reducing the impact our business has on the environment and are committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2024,” adds Ross Schofi eld.

“Additionally, over 80% of our coffee is certifi ed either fairtrade, organic or Rainforest Alliance, providing sustainable and ethical options to our customers. We are committed to behaving ethically, using sustainable resources and working with customers and suppliers to comply with good, fair-trading practices. This has been true both before and after the pandemic.

“We also, whenever possible, travel the world to engage with our growers and learn fi rst-hand directly from farmers and see how our company can further support and engage with their community. Moreover, for each visit, Lincoln & York donates £100 per person who visited a farm - with a minimum of £500 per farm visited - as a direct thank you to the people working the land.”

REWARDING LOYALTY

Coffee subscription services are becoming a way for outlets to access new and niche coffees, as well as a way for them to bolster customer loyalty, such as the one launched recently by Ello Group (formally known the Dining Club Group, customer loyalty specialists behind tastecard and Gourmet Society).

Coffee Club, which is free for coffee houses to join, uses the technology and engagement tactics seen in Ello’s other brands to provide strategic support for customer engagement to drive incremental footfall. Over 2,000 coffee houses have already signed up to the service including over 1,400 independents and the likes of Caffè Nero and Black Sheep Coffee.

The app-based service has been designed to support not only the consumer in offering fi nancial savings, but also operators who choose to join the programme. Members are able to save 25% on handcrafted coffee and drinks at participating coffee shops for a £2.99 monthly subscription or £24.99 annual subscription. In return, members of Ello’s new coffee community have access to millions of engaged consumers. The sector is currently in a state of repair following multiple lockdowns over the past two years and is expected to be further impacted by wider socioeconomic factors such as the rising cost of living and the recent rise in VAT back to 20%. However, promising recent data from Ello shows that almost two in fi ve (39%) Brits have said their spend on out of home hot drinks has increased in the last six months, with annual spend currently at an average of £700 per person (a survey of 2,000 UK adults carried out by the Leadership Factor on behalf of Ello Group). Strong discount and loyalty offerings will be crucial in capitalising on this demand and ensuring returning custom.

“We’re excited to be joining the Coffee Club community and to be able to offer a loyalty reward to subscribers on all handcrafted, barista-made hot drinks on our menu,” says Marcus Denison-Smith, marketing director at Caffè Nero UK.

“Despite the challenges the pandemic brought, we have seen huge loyalty from our customers and demand for our brand, and as we emerge from the pandemic that loyalty is very evident in the footfall we are seeing in our stores. Joining the Coffee Club Community is another way we are able to say thank you and reward customers who are not only enjoying being back in our stores but have also hugely embraced our new channels including click and collect, retail coffee at home, and delivery.”