August 14, 2008
Java sales outpace soft drinks
Soda junkies may be surprised by this news, while java connoisseurs may not find it so jolting.
Apparently, for the first time, coffee sales jumped ahead of the soft drink industry in 2007, according to Packaged Facts, a consumer research group. Sales for the coffee market, which includes retail and food service sales, were $44 million last year.
Food service venues, such as coffee shops, are the largest channel for coffee sales, with about 87 percent of the market, according to the report.
But Packaged Facts expects sales of coffee through retailers, such as grocery stores, to keep growing, eventually taking 45 percent of the java market. That’s because you often can find recognizable packaged coffee brands, such as Seattle’s Best and Starbucks, on store shelves.
Comments
[August 15, 2008 8:45 AM]
NRVA CitizenSeattle's Best is Starbucks; same company. Check the "best if used by" date, subtract one year and recognize that's the "born on date" when the product was packaged. Real specialty coffee means the highest quality beans which are roasted and brewed within two weeks. If you aren't buying estate coffee and don't know when it was roasted, you may as well buy Folgers and pocket the change.
[August 15, 2008 8:54 AM]
JennyNRVA Citizen, Thanks for the info. Starbucks owns Seattle's Best, but the two brands are separate, sold in different packages and taste differently.
[August 15, 2008 11:22 AM]
ThomI wonder if that stat isn't misleading. Coffee can be much more expensive than sodas.
So while they are taking in more money on coffee, sodas are probably still more popular.
[August 15, 2008 11:37 AM]
Another NRV Citizen : →http://noneNRVA Citizen is right on the money. Fresh coffee is no more than two weeks away from the day it was roasted. Older than that, even packaged in sealed foil containers filled with nitrogen, is simply too old (time doesn't stop in those silver pouches).
Think of it like bread. Would you eat year-old bread? Freshly-roasted coffee, from a local roaster, is still the best you can get.
[August 19, 2008 10:34 AM]
RigbySo since you've brought it up - where are some good places locally to buy fresh roasted coffee for home use?
( i realize these comments are a few days old and may not get replied to)