Today,coffee is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. We can drink a cup of coffee in any country, from Italy or the United States to Ethiopia, and we immediately realize thatthe way it is prepared and served differs enormously from one place to another. Even starting from the same product, the explosion of flavors in each drink is varied and infinite.
However, coffee consumption is changing. Many factors, such as social networks, purchasing power, environmental protection, among others, are creating consumer trends that affect consumer decisions and perceptions.
In order to understand the evolution within the coffee industry, we divided it into three stages or 3 “waves” where we describe the changes and preferences that surround the consumption of coffee.
The first wave began in 1800, when coffee consumption began to grow to unimaginable levels. This increase was due to people’s awareness of the potential behind this infusion and they started to buy it regularly.
In its origins, coffee was a luxury product. Its consumption was only within the reach of the upper classes, until the creation of companies that began to commercialize and package it in a more industrial way to reach the entire population.
The second wave began in the 1970s, coffee consumers began to appreciate coffee more and, consequently, began to demand not only better quality coffee, but also to know where the coffee beans came from. bean from which they drank the infusion.
The third wave, in which we are currently in, the consumer is looking for a specialty coffee. Coffee is bought not only for its quality but also for its origin. Consumers are beginning to worry about the cultivation, production and branding process. This consumption is currently being modeled, since the final customer from seeing coffee as a beverage to perceiving it as a to perceiving it as a sensory experience in all areas.
Year after year, the growth of coffee consumption is consolidating, both in quantity and quality, with Europe being the largest coffee consumer in the world and the Nordic countries being the first in the ranking of consumption.
The new generations with greater purchasing power and the influence of social networks are increasing interest in the product we have in our cup and its quality.
