Iced beverage consumption rises in the UK’s coffee shops

Project Iced UK 2018, the Allegra World Coffee Portal’s report, forecasts a 14% year-on-year growth of iced beverage sales in the United Kingdom’s coffee shops.

 Coffee consumption trends show a large increase in iced and Ready to Drink (RTD) beverages sold in the coolers of large chains and coffee shops. These beverages have become very popular in Japan and the US, where Buencafé has arrived with its wide range of differentiated products, including coffee extract to prepare iced or RTD beverages.

Project Iced UK 2018 attributed the increase in iced beverage consumption to the summer season, but it projects a long-term growth because 60% of industry leaders believe iced beverages are increasingly popular year-round.

Young set to drive future growth

Millennials and Generation Z will drive future segment sales growth, with iced beverages representing significant opportunities to introduce younger consumers to the coffee shop market. More than two-thirds of under 30s surveyed by Allegra said healthier options would encourage them to increase iced beverage consumption.

Allegra research also shows that those under 30 are more likely to view iced beverages as good value for money and consume them year-round compared to older consumers. These factors make younger consumers a key demographic for coffee shops to expand their iced offerings.

In the UK the future of iced beverage sales is positive. The research revealed that over half of industry leaders believe consumers are more likely to buy iced beverages out-of-home than 12 months ago.

Bradley Journeaux, Research Manager at Allegra World Coffee Portal, said: “Iced beverages represent a major opportunity for coffee shops, with younger consumers in particular engaged with the wide selection of highly customizable and visually appealing drinks on offer. The potential is there for iced beverages to overcome the traditional British weather barrier.”

In Colombia, Buencafé is the only producer and exporter of freeze-dried coffee with the highest quality standards. Its concentrated extract is one of the best in the world, and its ingredients are a must for cold products such as RTD beverages (very popular in the Asian market), ice cream, cakes, and liquors, among other products, because of the following features:

• Higher coffee flavor intensity.
• Less water contribution in milk preparation.
• Good creaminess.
• Excellent dissolution.
• Natural, genuine, and powerful flavors that can be used in a wide variety of applications.
• 100% Colombian coffee.

Allegra World Coffee, July 2018. Allegra reveals key findings from latest UK iced beverage report. London. Retrieved from https://www.worldcoffeeportal.com/Latest/News/2018/UK-iced-beverage-sales-enjoy-double-digit-growth