Holger Preibisch: “Coffee has been the favorite drink in Germany for years” (photo: Kaffeeverband)
Out-of-home consumption fell steeply in Germany as a result of lockdowns and Covid-19, according to analysis of the market by Germany’s coffee association, Kaffeeverband, but at-home consumption grew. What is more, although there was a decline in the consumption of coffee away from home the positive growth trend in the German market has continued and, overall, the market continued to grow in 2020, by 1.5%.
Although it may not sound like a massive increase, according to Kaffeeverband – which recently released an in-depth analysis of coffee consumption in Germany in 2020 – that 1.5% increase in consumption in 2020 equates to a per capita increase in consumption of 20 cups of coffee. The figure also augers well for consumption in 2021, as the pandemic – and lockdowns – continue.
“Lockdown led to an increase in coffee consumption at home in 2020," said Kaffeeverband in a statement. "On the other hand, there was a decline in the consumption of coffee away from home, but overall, the trend we have seen in recent years continued. That puts German per capita consumption in 2020 at 168 liters."
“Coffee has been the favorite drink in Germany for a number of years and remained so in 2020, despite the turbulence caused by the pandemic,” said Holger Preibisch, Kaffeeverband general manager. "Lockdown did not mean that the consumers no longer drank coffee when the coffee shop or their offices were closed. Rather, the place of consumption changed,” a trend that has also taken place in many other leading consuming countries.
Breaking down the figures for 2020, Kaffeeverband said it recorded an increase of around 11% – that is equivalent to an increase of 37,900 tons of roasted coffee – in at-home consumption. Consumption in restaurants, at work, and at other locations away from home such as bakeries, cafés, restaurants, hotels, coffee shops, and bars fell by 23% in 2020, which is equivalent to about 30,300 tons of roasted coffee, but the losses in the out-of-home market were more than compensated for by the enormous growth in domestic consumption.
Kaffeeverband’s analysis also suggests that changes took place in the way Germans prepare the coffee they consume at home. More and more Germans own a single-serve coffee machine, and more and more of them are buying whole bean coffee and grind themselves or use in a fully automatic machine that prepares fresh coffee portion-wise whole bean at the push of a button. All other types of coffee for preparation at home were bought in large quantities in 2020 than in 2019. Demand for coffee pods increased by 6% and around 4% more coffee capsules were sold.
Sales of classic, ground filter coffee grew by 0.2%. With a market share of 50%, it remains by far the strongest segment in the German roasted coffee market. Mixed coffee drinks such as cappuccino and ‘X in 1’ – that is, mixes with soluble coffee, milk powder, and/or sugar – increased by 7%. Preibisch said demand for soluble coffee also grew and increased by 5%. “[Last year] has shown us that coffee is a crisis-proof product that is enjoyed in abundance even in difficult times,” he concluded.