Coffee Drinking in Europe

Germans still account for almost two fifths of European spend on coffee, according to Mintel, but the German market has declined by 39% in 5 years while spend in the rest of Europe remains fairly constant. The net effect is a decline in the European market (excluding coffee shops) from 8.5 billion Euros in 1998 to 6.8 billion Euros in 2003.

More than 80% of the population in Germany, France, Spain and Great Britain (GB) drink coffee in one form or another according to the report, 'Coffee in Europe'. Germany accounted for about half the market value in 1998 but its spend has since fallen from 4.2 billion Euros to just 2.6 billion Euros, accounting for almost all the above European decline. A dip in the UK market (by 10%) has roughly balanced out slight growth in the Italian, French and Spanish coffee markets.

In 2003 each German spent on average 31.45 Euros on coffee, while the Spanish spent the least - just 12.33 Euros. The European average spend was some 22.76 Euros.

Continental Europeans like their fresh ground coffee. Some 62% of Germans drink only fresh ground coffee and won't touch a cup of instant, versus 40% of French and 32% of Spanish. In Britain the figure is 3%, whereas 44% of British adults drink only instant (6% in Germany). The British on average drink fresh ground coffee less than once a week, whereas elsewhere it is 4 to 5 times a week.

Branded and 'super-premium branded' instant coffee are on the rise in the UK - in the past 3 months over half (53%) of British adults have bought branded instant coffee, 29% super-premium branded and only 17% ground coffee.

'Coffee is in fact Germany's number one favourite drink, even beating beer', says Michelle Strutton, senior consumer analyst at MINTEL. One factor in the decline in sales is the caffeine / health question, with coffee 'coming under increasing pressure from soft drinks, in particular 'Schorlen', which are fruit juice spritzers' according to Strutton.

'In Britain tea is still the most popular hot drink, and for some coffee is just seen as a quick caffeine fix, which is why many avoid the more time consuming fresh ground coffee... In other European countries, such as France and Spain, drinking instant coffee is almost seen as sacrilegious as most have been brought up drinking freshly ground coffee'.

Over the past year, according to MINTEL's Global New Products Database (GNPD) there have been some 243 new coffee drinks released onto the market in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain alone, with organic, ethical, herbal and chocolate flavoured coffee drinks among them.

Coffee shops - popular among convenience-loving Britons - can have both positive and negative effects on at-home coffee drinking, explains Strutton. They allow consumers to experiment with ever more specialised blends and become familiar with premium coffee drinks, but also giving them quick and easy access to a quality cup of coffee and so discouraging them from making their own at home.

Mintel questioned 10,000 people in Germany, Spain and France and 25,000 in Great Britain. The company's web site is at www.mintel.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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