Eye-Opening Facts about Latinos and Coffee
Coffee. While many of us love it – and depend on its help to get anything done in the morning – not everyone likes it the same way. Some like it straight; others want a cup full of sugar with just a splash of java. Some want fresh-ground, some don’t mind instant. But almost everyone wants a cup of something to start the day.
Because Latinos make up a rapidly increasing fraction of the U.S. population, those who make and/or sell coffee are particularly interested in the group’s preferences when it comes to this indispensable part of mornings across the country. To shed some light on the subject, Mintel recently conducted a study that highlights several important data points for maximizing sales from this growing market.
Caffeine Rules but Decaf Has Lots of Latino Fans
While most Latinos report using caffeinated coffee at home, they’re also the biggest users of decaffeinated coffee – and by a large margin. With some 54% of Latinos responding that they use decaf at home, those serving markets with considerable numbers of Latino consumers may consider developing their offerings and marketing in this space.
Fast Coffee Is Good Coffee
More Latinos use instant coffee than any other group surveyed, even though regular coffee was preferred by a wide margin. Still, with 39% of respondents saying they have instant coffee in their homes and that they drink an average of three cups of that coffee each day, manufacturers and retailers looking for a profitable niche might want to expand their efforts here.
Rising Prices Affect Brand Loyalty
Though recent price increases have affected coffee buying habits for respondents across every group, Latinos report being less likely to buy their favorite brands when prices rise. Manufacturers and retailers who serve large Latino markets may consider promotional pricing or increased emphasis on their lower-priced sister lines to keep these consumers in the fold.
Latinos Are a Critical, Quickly Growing Coffee Market
According to Bloomberg, citing a 2013 National Coffee Association survey, 83% of U.S. adults drink coffee. Roughly 17% of the U.S. population is Hispanic, and that percentage is rising rapidly, making the Latino market – and the preferences and behaviors that drive it – a critical focus for coffee manufacturers and retailers. While Latinos share many coffee buying and consumption habits with other groups, paying more attention to instant and decaffeinated lines, as well as developing smart pricing and brand synergies, is key to building sales and mindshare with this large and growing consumer group.
