The economic downturn caused many consumers to cut back across categories, but coffee consumers have found new ways to enjoy their cup of joe. Approximately 79 percent of adults in the United States drank coffee in the last two years, according to Chicago-based Mintel Group Ltd.’s October Coffee report. However, 48 percent of coffee drinkers surveyed said they are drinking more coffee at home and less away from home in 2011 than they were a year ago — a trend that Mintel predicts will continue to drive retail coffee sales through 2012.
Overall retail sales of coffee in the United States reached nearly $7.6 billion in 2010, which is a 3.7 percent increase from the previous year, the Chicago-based research firm notes. Mintel expects the coffee category to grow approximately 12 percent in 2011 and to reach more than $8.5 billion in sales, but the research firm cautions that sales growth could be attributed primarily to the increase in coffee prices.