Market analyses and reports on the coffee and coffee machine markets
An article on BBC News outlined ‘four solutions to the disposable coffee cup problem’. It re-highlights the scale of the disposable coffee cup problem in the UK – 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups thrown away each year, with only a very small percentage being recycled. The article highlights how many businesses have engaged in collection and recycling schemes, but also lists four
How do cafes use social media to stand out from the crowd if everyone is posting about coffee? The Cat and Cloud podcast touched on some of the issues related to cafes and social media. They raise the point that in some cases the image a cafe projects of itself online is not necessarily the same as what you would experience in
I wrote about how Starbucks was trying something new in Japan, ‘Neighborhood and Coffee’ stores which had less obvious Starbucks branding, and were more focused on becoming the local neighbourhood coffee shop. Now, again in Japan, the company is trying something new. Its latest outlet in Kyoto, opened on 30th June, is inside a 100 year-old Japanese townhouse, complete with
The phenomenal growth of coffee shops (in the UK, but also globally) has consequently meant a rise in energy consumption and the production of waste. It’s estimated that 500,000 tonnes of coffee waste is produced in the UK each year, and 7 million disposable coffee cups each day. It is estimated that less than 1% of these coffee cups are recycled. After the issue reached the mainstream media last year as part of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s ‘war on waste’ there have been many developments.
One of the most common ways in which coffee shops engage in the circular economy is [Sign in to continue]
This is a new piece of research which highlights another important function of café spaces – as places not only of co-working for independent workers, but as places where business and work takes place more generally.
The discount voucher website MyVoucherCodes has recently released some data which suggests that:
4/5 people in the UK have spent at least 3 ½ hours working from a coffee shop each week;
1/3 have closed a business deal (with an average value of [sign in to continue]
Cafés too have long been places of networking, in the UK the early coffee houses of the 16th century financial district in London acted as places where people would gather to learn about the news, debate current affairs, and network. In modern times the café for some people is also a place of work, either in solitude, or in a practice
Last month, Trade Arabia announced that Coffee Planet, a coffee roaster and coffee shop chain in the Middle East, signed a franchise agreement with HB Brands for 70 shops in Saudi Arabia. Coffee Planet, based in Dubai, embarked on the franchise concept in order to expand its global presence, adding to its existing franchise agreements in UAE, Qatar, Pakistan and Malaysia.
There are changes taking place in Middle Eastern coffee culture [Sign in to continue]
Coventry is a welcoming city, a changing city, and a city full of culture – it has submitted a bid to be the UK City of Culture 2021. When you think of café culture, Coventry probably isn’t the first city in the UK you think of, but like most cities across the UK, there is a thriving and growing café
Coffee culture is ingrained in the everyday life, culture and history of Portugal. The Portuguese were crucial actors in expanding the coffee industry into what it is today with Portuguese colonists introducing the coffee plant to Brazil. There isn’t space here to explore the rich history of Portuguese coffee culture, but I will write about this more at some point soon.
Drinking coffee in Portugal is an everyday part of life, with cafés found almost on every street, and espresso being the most common drink. Coffee is significantly cheaper to drink out of the home, than it is in the UK. An espresso wouldn’t usually cost you more than € 1 and in most cases is closer to € 0.50. If you ask for a coffee (um café) an espresso is what you’d be served, although there are regional variations for different coffees too. If you were in Porto and wanted an espresso you’d order um bica, while in Lisbon you’d order um cimbalino (named after the La Cimbali espresso machines). [Sign in to continue]
Starbucks, the global coffee chain company is starting to try and do things a little differently. Famous for introducing its stores with their similar style and operations across the globe, with increasing competition, the company has had to think about how it can move with the times and have a wider offering of store types. In some markets the company