A recent analysis carried out by HostMilano offers a detailed picture of coffee trade (and trends). This sector is expected to reach 43 billion euros in 2025, with the United States as the leading importer and Brazil the largest producer. The survey reveals +13.6% in euro values for espresso coffee machines, +13.1% for decaffeinated or roasted coffee and +8.8% for unroasted coffee beans, for a total value in international trade equal to 34.5 billion euros. And in the three-year period 2022-2025, an annual growth rate of +5.6% is expected for world trade in coffee products sector.
The United States and Germany represent the main destinations in terms of sales in 2021, preceding Italy, Japan, Belgium, and Switzerland. Brazil is the main exporter, ahead of Colombia, Vietnam, Honduras, Guatemala, Ethiopia, and Belgium.
Despite being a tea drinking region, Asia is now a top consumer area. According to International Coffee Organization data, in the last 5 years, coffee consumption has increased by 1.5 %, due to the growth of a middle class that welcomes Western trends and the sharing of recipes on social channels. So Starbucks has 5400 stores in China in over 200 cities and Costa Coffee over 450 sale points (and focuses on Costa Express self-service machines).
Italy is the coffee Country
Italian exports of products in the coffee sector reach a new high in 2021, equal to 2.6 billion euros, with an increase of +14% over 2020. The national export of decaffeinated or roasted coffee and espresso machines is growing (respectively +14.1% and +14.3%). By 2025, supply chain products exports are expected to grow by +5.5%, while imports will reach a value of 1,450 million euros in 2021; the most significant component concerns coffee beans.
A double-digit growth in the machinery market concerns the full recovery of pre-pandemic levels next year, before reaching the end of the forecast period of around 5.6 billion euros. And we were the first exporters in 2021, ahead of Germany, Switzerland, and the United States.
New consumption formulas for coffee lovers
The consumer knows raw material and looks for various options. The offer therefore widens, while the coffee break becomes “instagrammable”. Consumption is, in fact, driven by social trends (Tik Tok more than any other platform), offering an interesting market opportunity.
We were in full pandemic when Dalgona coffee made its social entry, a Korean recipe that consists of an instant coffee and sugar whipped foam placed on milk. This was followed by Proffee, a mix of coffee and protein drink, and other recipes (iced, syrups, drinks…) without milk or based on vegetable ingredients. The National Coffee Drinking Trends by the US National Coffee Association highlights that young Americans (between 18 and 24 years old) regularly drink coffee, preferring cold, iced, and frozen.
And what about the coffee of the future?
During the latest edition of HostMilano, exhibitors introduced innovation policies focused on environmental sustainability.
Gruppo Cimbali presented the Sustainability Manifesto aimed workers’ health and safety, use of recyclable materials, application of technologies for energy saving and production processes efficiency through new coffee machines. The packaging recyclability and compostability trends are consolidated. The European Directives deadlines and the attention to circular economy lead to the demand for mono-materials, accelerating the study of laminates and the design of new generation packaging lines. Goglio, for example, proposes new mono-polyethylene and mono-polypropylene packaging ready for recycling.