Observing National Coffee Day on September 29th in Canada
September 28 - 2021 Coffee Geography Magazine
It’s National Coffee Day on September 29thand
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 TrendsStudy.
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 resultingfromwaves 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 yetto be afull return
to pre-pandemic coffee rituals.
“In any given month, seven in 10Canadians will have
consumed a coffee in the past day,” says Robert Carter, President, Coffee
Association of Canada. “Now, inthe 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.”
Robert Carter, President, Coffee Association of Canada
Looking at other sectors in the industry, the study
found that coffee roastersalso 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’sCanadian Coffee Drinking TrendsStudy 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 associationsthat 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& BreakfastStrategy, 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
The Coffee
Association of Canada (CAC) is a registered
not-for-profit trade organization whose members include Canadian
coffee roasters, retailers, importers and suppliers. Since 1991, the CAC has
been an advocate for the industry and a trusted source of research and
knowledge, educating and engaging members, consumers, government and the media
about coffee news, health benefits and industry trends in Canada and beyond.