LONDON, UK — Keen not to miss out on their regular coffee fix whilst working from home during the lock down, Brits spent a whopping £2.15bn on coffee machines and products to replicate their regular coffee experience. Coffee roastery Volcano Coffee Works surveyed Brits on their coffee habits and sought their expectations of coffee companies for International Coffee Day.
The survey* revealed 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 over 112m cups nationally every 24 hours. With these sorts of figures, it should not be a surprise that 82% of coffee drinkers felt that they rely on good coffee to set them up for a productive day of work.
Emma Loisel, Co-Founder and Chair at Volcano Coffee Works commented: “We’re more in love with coffee than ever, with consumption up and millions investing in recreating their caffeine fix at home. Coupled with working longer hours from home, it seems we’ve never been more reliant on coffee. And interestingly, it’s great to see the trends for ethically sourced coffee and that companies showing they care about people and the environment are more important than ever when it comes to purchase decisions.”
Coffee is big business for Brits
Coffee is big business, the UK’s annual caffeine bill is £14.9bn. However, the study reveals this set to accelerate further – driven by ethical coffee drinkers – with more than three in five (63%) people willing to pay more for coffee if it benefits coffee farmers, up 18% compared to 2019.
Emma Loisel continued: “Coffee could be a bell weather of things to come. Consumers are making themselves very clear, they want more from brands than just great products. 85% told us they expect the companies they buy products from to behave sustainably and ethically towards the environment and people.”
“Perhaps this is one of the greatest silver linings from the lockdown, consumers have found their voice and if they continue to hold companies to account, they will drive change, faster than any government” added Emma Loisel.
* Research based on a survey of 2,000 British people between 25th and 28th September 2020. Survey conducted by consumer research agency YourSay.
About Volcano Coffee Works
Volcano Coffee Works, founded in 2010, is an ethical and carbon neutral coffee roastery. They bring people great tasting coffees, whilst supporting the livelihoods of small hold farmers who grow their coffees. Their coffee is consumed in hotels, restaurants, cafes, and offices across the UK and Paris. Consumers can also buy coffee direct from their website. A team of 30 passionate people produce over 4,000 kgs of coffee every week, an average of 850,000 cups of Volcano Coffee Works delicious coffee is consumed each month.
The business was founded on the belief that coffee can be a force for good. It all started with a coffee cart on the streets of West Norwood, now they have a state-of-the-art roastery in Brixton, where Volcano Coffee Works produces great tasting coffee that has a real and positive impact. Their ethical trading principles ensure that the entire supply chain and beyond benefits. They pay fair prices, committing to buy their farmer’s coffees on long term contracts, giving them security of income so they can invest in their farms and families. They support local community initiatives and are the Crisis Homeless Charity’s coffee partner, enabling consumers everywhere to support Crisis by buying Crisis Coffee here.
