Tracking consumer behaviour

While the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced where and how Canadians consume coffee, it has not stopped them from enjoying their favourite beverage, according to the Coffee Association of Canada’s (CAC) ongoing consumer tracking study.

CAC president Robert Carter says the study was launched in 2020 and has continued throughout the pandemic and shows past-day (the previous 24 hours) consumption of coffee has remained steady.

“In any given month, seven in 10 Canadians will have consumed a coffee in the past day,” says Mr. Carter.

But the pandemic did shift coffee preparation to consumers’ homes, which in turn impacted the out-of-home (OOH) market.

“In 2021, we are still in recovery mode. As of August 2021, 23 per cent of respondents had a coffee prepared OOH the previous day compared to pre-pandemic levels of 40 per cent,” says Mr. Carter.

Meanwhile, other sectors in the industry, such as coffee roasters, saw their deliveries to grocery stores increase while OOH foodservice volumes declined, according to the study that also showed many roasters established direct-to-consumer delivery channels.

In keeping with its mandate to provide leadership to the industry in advocacy, proprietary research, education and networking, CAC initiated a global group comprising British, American and European Union coffee associations that meets quarterly to discuss issues impacting the industry.

These include sustainability, fair labour and working conditions on producing countries’ coffee farms, health and wellness and trade/tariff issues.

These and other issues will be discussed at the CAC’s virtual conference on November 16 and 17. Titled “Refilling Our Cup,” the conference will focus on understanding the new realities of consumer behaviour, changing dynamics in the coffee industry and technology.

“Our goal is to provide key insights, market data and expert opinions and identify the opportunities to be successful coming out of the most impactful and dramatic change our industry has ever witnessed,” says Mr. Carter.

For more information on the Coffee Association of Canada and the virtual conference: coffeeassoc.com

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To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition: National Coffee Day