Category: In-depth Insights

Exploring Coffee Shop Culture in Russia

Russia is a country more frequently associated with a tea drinking culture which dates back hundreds of years. While the hot drinks market in Russia is still dominated by tea, the consumption of coffee is one the rise, with the consumption of fresh coffee being the main driver (ICO, 2015). The coffee market was valued at around $2.5 billion in 2014 compared to around $4 billion for tea (USDA 2014).

‘Specialty coffee is new in Russia; until just 20 years ago, any form of coffee had been considered a luxury reserved for the elite and was far beyond the reach of average consumers. Today, half of all coffee consumed is still soluble (instant) coffee, making it one of the biggest markets for Nescafe in the world. The other half of is a hodgepodge of commodity and specialty coffee’ [Sign in to continue]

Coffee and the Circular Economy

With the growing number of coffee shops in the UK (and globally) there has also been a rise in associated waste products too: it is estimated that over 500,000 tonnes of coffee waste is produced in the UK every year, which not only leads to high disposal costs, but also millions of tonnes of CO2 and methane. However, there are some companies which are making efforts to shift the coffee industry to a more circular system with its waste than a linear one.

“These black, sodden remains of pulverized coffee seeds have inspired the freshly caffeinated imaginations of scientists, entrepreneurs and social innovators form Melbourne to London to Seoul, sprouting into ideas of real consequence for the coffee industry” [Sign in to continue]

How to Select a Good Cascara?

Cascara, meaning ‘skin’ or ‘husk’ in Spanish, is the outer peel of the coffee cherry (berry). In biological terms, we can say that cascara contains exocarp and mesocarp. The mesocarp contains a lot of pectins and small sugars while exocarp contains mostly polyphenols. It was for a long time a by-product of coffee production. Today, cascara has an added value as food and food ingredient.

The classic use of this by-product is infusion in hot water, but you can now find it as flour. It can then be used in flour blends to add colour, fibres and caffeine.

So, cascara is becoming popular and we expect in the next few years a big increase of its consumption. Why? Simply because Starbucks is launching a cascara latte. They will make cascara a trendy product.

Now, the most important part of this brief article:

How can I choose a safe cascara ?[Sign in to continue]

European Coffee Market Sales Increase in 2016

Preliminary results on the European coffee markets show that the consumption in EU28 increased by 6.4% in quantity in the twelve months ending November 2016.

The CoffeeBi analysis highlights that this result is due to the overall increase in coffee sales in the second part of 2016. In the first six months, consumption in EU28 stood at +1% (compared to 1st semester 2015).[Sign in to continue]

Engaging Your Customers with Social Media (Part 2)

In the second article in this article series about social media , I want to talk about how you can build a strong coffee shop brand on your social media pages as well.

Or to be more precise to make your brand also visible online in the social networks you’re using for your coffee shop.

The last article was all about finding the right social networks for your coffee shop business. The thing is, being present alone on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter doesn’t make you visible for your online coffee community and the potential customers of your coffee shop. [Sign in to continue]

Why are Espresso Blends so Complex?

The complexity of an espresso blend is something very important for the roaster. It is part of his “savoir faire” and his own knowledge. By coffee roasters, the recipe is the identity of the brand and therefore all recipes are well protected against hard copy. As recipes can’t be protected by IP, a way to do it is to complexify

People in Moscow Were Buying More Coffee in November

In November 2016 people in Moscow were buying coffee 5% more often than in October 2016 and November 2015, according to Romir Research Holding,

The research company explained this growth by the decrease in prices for coffee in November. At the same time people were buying less milk, bottled water, and chocolate.[Sign in to continue]

Pros and Cons of the Most Common Coffee Machines at Workplace

It is indisputable that coffee machine represents an essential equipment of every work environment. Coffee break provides a welcome pause during meetings and in general plays a crucial role in social life of a workplace. Coffee keeps people alert and makes them more productive. That is another reason why every employer should consider having a machine that serves coffee beverages.

Research by ICO Shows Coffee Farmers Operating at a Loss

A study by the International Coffee Organisation shows that coffee farmers in a selected number of countries are operating at a loss. This to them means growing coffee is becoming more and more non-profitable for farmers.

According to the study, March 2015 saw the ICO composite price consistently going down below a 10-year average of $137.24 / lb. This has raised concerns about the economic situation of coffee production and the livelihood of growers in the countries involved.[Sign in to continue]

Coffee Pods About to Overtake Instant and Ground Coffee

A recent study from Kantar Worldpanel revealed major increase in coffee pods consumption and data shows that coffee capsules are soon to surpass both instant and standard ground coffee.

An increase of 29.5 per cent over the last 12 months in the sales of coffee capsules represents a remarkable figure. Especially in view of the fact that over the same period sales of standard ground coffee rose by only 2.5 per cent. These results raise already existing concerns about environmental consequences of coffee pods usage and the need to recycle them more efficiently.[Sign in to continue]