Written by Bjørn Grydeland
Since 1982, Norsk Kaffeinformasjon has conducted surveys in collaboration with various market research companies to map the population's attitude to and consumption of coffee. Combined with coffee import statistics, we now know quite a lot about where, when and how Norwegians prefer to drink their coffee.
COFFEE HABITS CHANGE OVER TIME
Who would have thought, 50 years ago, that you could drive by a gas station and take a cup of coffee with you in your car. Or walk down the street with a cup of coffee in your hand. As society evolves, coffee habits are also changing.
Coffee is still our number one social drink, but it's facing competition. In 2011, 78% responded that they usually served coffee when they had guests. By 2018, this figure had dropped to 58%. For a long time, it was unthinkable not to be able to offer a cup of coffee to guests. Perhaps this is about to change?
Morning coffee is still the most important cup for most people, and we tend to stick to established habits. Most people prefer to enjoy their coffee with others at work or at home after dinner. Many people also drink coffee when they're relaxing or reading a good book or newspaper at home. And still 73% say they drink their coffee black.
Incidentally, coffee is an everyday drink and we drink on average half a cup less coffee on weekends.
Globalization, the internet and travel habits have given us impulses from other countries. We have become international. Coffee shops came to Norway in the 90s. The traditional cafés faced competition and soon everyone had learned the names of Italian espresso drinks. In 1991, only 15% of those surveyed had tasted cappuccino. By 2000, this figure had almost tripled. Today, coffee shops have become a natural part of the cityscape, and the large chains have a clear appeal to younger target groups. While for a period in the 2000s it seemed as if we were "losing" young people, the trend has reversed. Perhaps the coffee shop chains should get some of the credit for this.
Technical developments are giving us new methods of preparation. With the advent of the coffee maker, the kettle slowly but surely disappeared from the kitchen counter, and today only 4% of people say they usually drink boiled coffee. For a while it seemed that the traditional black filter coffee would go out of fashion, but that didn't happen. More than 70% enjoy their coffee without any additives and funnel coffee is still the most popular.
With capsule/pod machines in the 2000s, it became possible to brew a cup of coffee quickly and easily. About a third of people say they have such a solution at home. Perhaps it suited the times, with an increasing proportion of single-person households and a desire for things to be simple and efficient. The concept of "single serve", i.e. one-cup solutions, also came to the workplace and today coffee machines have taken over from funnels in most large workplaces.
The press pot became very popular in the 80s and 90s, and came as a supplement to the coffee maker when the coffee kettle was phased out. It also became popular in some restaurants that wanted to do something extra with their coffee service. Many people still prefer this brewing method, but although 40% have a press pot at home, only 9% say it's the one they usually use.
Interest in the old manual filter methods began to emerge about 10 years ago and was quickly embraced by people interested in coffee. Today, there is a lot of nice hand brewing equipment both at home and in coffee shops. Perhaps these have taken over from the press pot? In any case, as many as 13% say they have such equipment at home.
With the coffee bar wave, we also started to see manual espresso machines on the kitchen counter. However, these were difficult to use and many people opted for fully automatic solutions instead. Today, there is a large selection of espresso machines in electrical stores in all price ranges. Around 15% of people have such equipment at home and just as many say that this is the coffee they prefer. Thus, "espresso drinkers" are loyal to their choice of equipment.
And let's not forget instant coffee, which can be used as an umbrella term for coffee powder or concentrate that dissolves in water. 15% state that they usually drink instant coffee and in volume terms, more of this is sold than capsules/pods in Norwegian grocery stores. Instant coffee is found in many coffee machines at workplaces and in the large hospitality market.
An interesting development in recent years is the emergence of new roasteries. While growth in coffee shops seems to be skyrocketing, the number of distilleries has doubled in just a few years. We now have more than 60 roasteries in Norway and we must expect more new establishments. Even if they don't represent such a large volume overall, local roasters are helping to keep interest in coffee alive and creating local engagement. Together with the coffee shops, roasters in Norway play an important role in maintaining and further developing the high quality level of coffee we have in this country.
STABLE CONSUMER
In 2017, we imported just over 47 thousand tons of green coffee to Norway. This gives an average consumption of about 9 kg per head. Although the figures have changed somewhat over time, we say that Norwegians have a stable high consumption of coffee.
The highest figures can be found in the 80s and 90s, when per capita consumption was as high as 10.7 kg in some years. Now we are back at the level of the 60s. Is consumption on the way down?
On the face of it, this may seem the case, but when we ask about people's coffee habits, consumers say they drink between 3.5 and 5 cups a day, and this has been the case for a long time. 80%, or almost 3.3 million Norwegians, drink coffee or coffee drinks at least once a week, and a total of 66% over the age of 18 drink coffee daily.
Perhaps the conflicting figures can be explained by the fact that less coffee is wasted. Single-cup solutions in the large professional market and similar solutions at home have simply led to less going down the drain. A lot of coffee consumption has moved out of the home and takes place in cafés or coffee shops. 30% of coffee is drunk at work. And we shouldn't forget that kiosks and petrol stations sell a lot of coffee to people on the move.
Beneath the big numbers, we find clear differences in consumption both in terms of age groups and regions. The core consumer is found in the 30-59 age group and among men. They drink a lot both at work and at home.
When we look at the enormous development of beverage products in stores, coffee doesn't seem to suffer from this. Coffee stands firmly on its own two feet and is probably perceived as a product without competition. Nor does consumption appear to be very sensitive to price fluctuations. Coffee is basically a cheap drink, and periods of price changes, either up or down, do not seem to affect daily consumption.
NO FEAR FOR YOUR HEALTH
Never have we been more concerned about health. As coffee's many positive health effects became known, it lost its label as a slightly "dangerous" beverage that should be enjoyed in limited quantities. Today, 70% of people believe that coffee has a positive or neutral effect on their health, and most of the negative myths have been dispelled.
Source: Kaffeundersøkelsen 2018, Ipsos Connect For article and fact overview see www.kaffe.no, operated by Norsk Kaffeinformasjon