2020 Coffee Report Leave a comment

Rise in demand for ethical coffee

On average, £288,323,353 is spent each week on coffee in the UK, which is around £14.9bn annually. This is set to accelerate further – driven by ethical coffee drinkers – with more than six in 10 (63%) willing to pay more for coffee if it benefited coffee farmers, up 18% compared to 2019.

Our findings show this trend is set to continue with 68% of coffee drinkers saying they would want to know more about how the coffee they drink supports positive causes. 85% also stated they expected the companies they buy products from to behave sustainably and ethically towards the environment and people.

Has lockdown boosted coffee consumption?

Since lockdown, Brits have collectively spent over £2.15bn on coffee machines and products whilst working from home.

Our research revealed that more than four in 10 (42%) admitted to drinking more coffee since lockdown – with almost a quarter (23%) drinking four cups a day – equating to 112,320,000 cups nationally every 24 hours. 

Support for independent coffee shops & businesses

Covid-19 has undoubtedly seen changes to our coffee habits; as well as consuming more and buying more for use at home, we have also become more local, swapping commuter cafes for our local coffee shops. A high proportion of consumers (77%) expressed they were worried about the long term effects of restricted trading on small and independent businesses.