EXCLUSIVE: Later Latte? - The Latest Coffee Trends Revealed

Coffee is now a staple of the foodservice industry.

Consumers’ habits have evolved to include an out of home coffee in their day-to-day activities; whether it’s a coffee on-the-go or an excuse to catch-up with friends. But how is coffee performing within the foodservice industry? And are some types of coffee out-performing others?

Data from The NPD Group shows that in the year to February 2018, there were just under 2.1 billion servings of coffee in the out of home market. What might come as a surprise is that this number is static versus last year, with coffee servings down very slightly by -0.2%. This static performance has been driven by mixed performances across the different types of coffee.

The more traditional types of coffee, such as filter coffee, have decreased in importance - with filter coffee incidence down -1.0% versus last year.

Latte, one of the most popular types of coffee, has also decreased in popularity (incidence is down -0.2%), as outlets have turned their focus to more exciting products. One example of a more exciting product is the Flat White, which has seen incidence increase by +0.8% in the latest year, as more and more outlets add this coffee to their menus.

As coffee performance in the foodservice market is flat, outlets face fierce competition to attract customers.

Cyril Lavenant, head of foodservice UK in the NPD group said, “it is not just the Coffee shops that are now offering coffee; QS Burger, QS Bakery and Pubs all sell coffee also. And all these outlets are expanding their coffee menus to include traditional and speciality coffees. To really stand out from the crowd, chains need to keep their coffee menus simple, with a focus on taste and quality; as these are the key factors that will drive a return visits.”