Julius Meinl launches “Say hello” campaign.

Going for a coffee with a friend or family member has been lockdown’s most missed moment, with an estimated 13bn moments missed in the past 12 months across Europe’s cities, according to premium coffee brand Julius Meinl.

Their survey of 4,000 adults living in European cities has revealed that during the pandemic over two-thirds have missed the simple, everyday pleasure of meeting in a café for a coffee and a chat. Most of those surveyed missed the social connection and 81% said that having a conversation with a friend or stranger had a positive impact on their wellbeing, the company found.

Commenting on the research, internationally renowned psychologist professor Geoffrey Beattie said: “There were many things that people missed during lockdown – but a face-to-face encounter, a chat, real human interaction is what they missed more than anything. Human contact is so important to our well-being. Online conversation not only prevents touch, but it also inhibits the spontaneity of conversation and the sharing of subtle body language signals that carry so much important information in everyday talk.

“Coffee houses are powerful spaces psychologically - the sound of the espresso machine, the smell, the low chatter of conversation. Smell is processed by an ancient part of the brain called the limbic system which is also responsible for memory. That’s why certain memories come fl ooding back with particular smells. The smell of the coffee is incredibly evocative reminding us all of connectedness prior to lockdown, the thing that people crave.”

The study conducted by the Viennese coffee roaster and OnePoll across London, Vienna, Milan and Bucharest in April 2021, showed that between March 2020 and March 2021 European city dwellers on average missed a quarter of the conversations they usually had with strangers (this equates to as much as 13bn new social connections lost across European cities). Londoners missed the most, having lost 6.3m opportunities to meet someone new, whilst the Viennese missed 2.5m and the people of Milan missed 2.1 million moments.

Explaining the importance of these missed moments and occasions professor Geoffrey Beattie added: “The pandemic has interfered with the establishment of casual conversations that people encounter in the course of daily life - such as the barista serving you a coffee each day, or bumping into a friend in the street, or having a chance chat with the person next to you on a train. These so-called ‘weak ties’ are vital social connections. They give people the feeling that they are not isolated, that they belong to a community and are plugged into something larger.” One in fi ve surveyed said the place they would most likely start up a new conversation was in a café, therefore with coffee houses closed and Julius Meinl reporting almost 1bn coffee moments missed, the opportunity for casual connection this past 12 months has been radically reduced. However, 36% of people surveyed said they are now more likely to say ‘hello’ to a stranger than they were pre Covid-19.

One in 10 said they would be much more likely to say ‘hello’, claiming they now felt ‘more connected’ to others as a result of the global crisis. Just 20% said they were less likely to say ‘hello’ with barriers to striking up a new conversation including a lack of confi dence (26%), nervousness about talking to people (37%) and fear of the virus spreading (38%). Londoners were found to be the most sociable with almost half (48%) saying they would be more likely to say ‘hello’ and one in fi ve (20%) being much more likely. Just 12% said they would be less likely compared with a quarter of those living in Bucharest and Milan.

As cafés around the globe begin to re-open, Julius Meinl says that it intends to support businesses and make up for thousands of these missed moments by increasing connections over coffee with their “Say hello” campaign. Launching globally on 1 June 2021, Julius Meinl coffee drinkers will be encouraged to “Say hello” to a friend or a stranger, gift them a complimentary cup of Julius Meinl coffee and share a moment together.

Christina Meinl, managing director of Julius Meinl, said: “For a lmost two centuries Viennese coffee houses have been a venue for strangers and friends to connect over coffee; sharing time, space, ideas and moments big and small. Every new social connection starts with a ‘hello’ and at Julius Meinl we want to encourage and enhance those small, important moments that add meaning to life. By giving our customers and consumers the option to gift a coffee to a stranger we want everyone to enjoy the Viennese coffee house traditions and bring the world back together again after pandemic has pulled us apart.”