HAMBURG, Germany – In 2022, Germans bought more roasted coffee than ever before. At 479,700 tons, sales of roasted coffee soared to a record high – one big winner was the out-of-home market. Germans have increased their coffee consumption away from home by 45 percent compared to the previous year. The “whole bean” segment is growing, especially within the at-home market*. Its market share rose by eight percent in 2022 and is now about 44 percent – almost on par with ground roasted coffee.
German coffee market 2022
Holger Preibisch, CEO of the German Coffee Association, says: “The pandemic years have shown: coffee is crisis-proof. The year 2022 was also a strong coffee year. Despite inflation and price-sensitive consumer behaviour, German residents bought and consumed more roasted coffee than ever.”
In 2022, the places where people consumed coffee shifted significantly. Preibisch: “We’ve seen a clear trend towards the out-of-home market. People finally want to drink coffee away from home again.” According to figures by the German Coffee Association, coffee consumption in the out-of-home market rose by around 45 percent compared to the previous year. Less strict Corona measures made coffee consumption in cafés, coffee shops, or bakeries possible again. Preibisch explains: “In 2022, employees returned to the offices while home office hours decreased. People consumed coffee while commuting or at business lunch. The coffee break gained a new level of significance.”
The coffee market shows a clear shift from pads, capsules, and ground roasted coffee towards “whole beans”: The market share of coffee pads was six percent in 2022, capsules five percent.
The German Coffee Association sees a growing increase in the consumption of fresh ground coffee prepared in fully automatic coffee makers. “Coffee consumers want to grind their coffee fresh to enjoy the full flavour. They now have a huge choice of “whole bean” coffee products offered by supermarkets, online retailers, and the many specialty roasters today.” Holger Preibisch expects: “Preparation at the push of a button, fresh grinding of coffee beans – these will be the coffee trends in 2023. Every third household in Germany owns a corresponding system.”
Sales of roasted coffee are growing. So is the population in Germany: it increased by around one million people in 2022, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Calculated on the increased population, the annual per capita consumption of coffee has therefore declined slightly to 167 litres, despite record sales of roasted coffee. For 2023, the German Coffee Association expects that, for the first time, more “whole beans” will be sold than classic ground, roasted coffee.
* Purchased in grocery stores (LEH), coffee shops, or online stores.
About the German Coffee Association
For over 50 years, the German Coffee Association has represented the interests of companies and organizations that trade, process, or otherwise deal with coffee in Germany.
It unites more than 360 companies along the coffee value chain – including sustainability organizations, coffee traders and brokers, coffee roasters, soluble coffee producers, decaffeination industries, coffee and roasting machine manufacturers, logisticians, and laboratories. In 2014 and 2018, the German Coffee Association was named “Association of the Year” by the German Association Management Association (DGVM).
