Refilling, Refueling and Recovering: Canadian consumers still love their coffee, but where and how they refill their cup has evolved through the pandemic

Toronto, ON – September 23, 2021 – Next week is National Coffee Day (September 29^th) and 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) proprietary Canadian Coffee Drinking Trends Study.

For the last two years, the annual Canadian Coffee Drinking Trends Study has been conducted in pulse waves throughout the year to capture ongoing changes to the industry resulting from waves of the pandemic, lockdowns and reopening. The study found that while overall coffee consumption has remained steady, there was a shift to coffee preparation in consumer’s homes, impacting the out-of-home coffee market. Today, while many are starting to find their way back into the office and into new and old routines, there has yet to be a full return to pre-pandemic coffee rituals.

“In any given month, seven in 10 Canadians will have consumed a coffee in the past day,” says Robert Carter, President, Coffee Association of Canada. “Now, in the later months of 2021, we are still in recovery mode. As of August 2021, 23 per cent of respondents had a coffee prepared out-of-home the previous day compared to pre-pandemic levels of 40 per cent.”

Looking at other sectors in the industry, the study found that coffee roasters also saw a shift in delivery volumes, with an increase in deliveries to grocery stores while the volume of deliveries to foodservice declined.  The study also revealed that many roasters established direct-to-consumer delivery channels.

The CAC’s Canadian Coffee Drinking Trends Study is in keeping with the association’s mandate to provide leadership to the coffee industry in advocacy, proprietary research, education and networking. To this end, the CAC initiated a global group comprised of British, American and European Union coffee associations that meets quarterly to discuss issues impacting the industry on a global scale – issues like sustainability, fair labour and working conditions on producing countries’ coffee farms, health and wellness and trade.

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 the new realities of consumer behaviour, changing dynamics in the coffee industry and technology.

“The COVID-19 pandemic created the most impactful and dramatic change our industry has ever witnessed,” says Catherine Crozier, CAC Chair and Senior Director, McCafe & Breakfast Strategy, Marketing and Brand Innovation, McDonalds Canada. “Our goal at the CAC is to provide key insights, market data, and expert opinions to help identify opportunities to be successful in the current and post-pandemic environments.”

More information about the Coffee Association of Canada and the upcoming virtual conference is available at coffeeassoc.com

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