Single Cups and Workplace Coffee in the NCA’s 2015 Consumer Trends Report

Single cup brewing and dissatisfaction with office coffee are among the trends in the NCA’s 2015 consumer report. 2008 photo “Why I Love Waking Up” by Tomasz Bobrzynski.

Single-cup brewing systems are continuing their meteoric rise, while workplace coffee may provide one of the industry’s biggest opportunities for development. This according to the National Coffee Association’s 2015 National Coffee Drinking Trends report.

Each year, the NCA gets a hold of about 3,000 U.S. consumers of ages and ethnicities in proportion with U.S. population data. The longest running study of its kind for the industry, the National Coffee Drinking Trends (NCDT) report provides a wide-angle view of consumer trends, something that can get lost in the “specialty” bubble.

For 2015, total coffee consumption remained within the margin of error of last year’s numbers, with 59 percent of Americans saying they drink coffee every day, and 71 percent saying they drink coffee at least once per week. At these rates, coffee holds its place as Americans’ top daily beverage choice behind water, the NCA says.

The survey showed that single-cup brewing ownership is at an all-time high of 27 percent, compared to 15 percent last year and 12 percent two years ago. Additionally, 12 percent of consumers said they intend to buy a single-cup brewing system within the next six months, although that number is lower than it was in the 2014 survey. Awareneness of single-cup brewing systems is also up to an all-time high of 75 percent.

This year’s survey yielded some interesting feedback on workplace coffee, an area the NCA suggests shows room for opportunity among coffee providers. “Attitudes toward office coffee systems appear to suggest opportunities to improve the workplace coffee experience,” the group said in an announcement of the report. “Fifty-four percent are less than ‘very satisfied’ with their workplace coffee area, while the 13 percent who said they are not satisfied will likely be a receptive audience for new preparation options.”

As for age demographics, the report confirmed that coffee drinking in total is skewing older, although the margin was smaller in this year’s report compared to last year’s. Additionally, there was growth in total consumption, especially pronounced in espresso-based drinks, among consumers under the age of 40. Drinkers age 18-24 also reported drinking less non-gourmet coffee.

The NCA officially released the report in conjunction with its annual convention, which took place this past weekend in Charleston, S.C. The group moved production of the report up three months from previous years to align the timing. The full trends report is available online and in print beginning today, beginning at $350 for NCA members and $595 for non-members.