Coffee Consumption Over the Last Century
Jean
C. Buzby and Stephen
Haley
Given the current popularity of Starbucks
and other specialty coffees, it may be surprising
that U.S. per capita coffee consumption is only
half of what it was in the mid-1940s. ERS’s
food availability data, a proxy for consumption,
show a rise and fall in coffee consumption over
the past century. Per capita availability of coffee
in the United States peaked in 1946 at 46.4 gallons
per person, compared with 24.2 gallons in 2005.
During the first half of the century,
U.S. coffee companies sought to provide consumers
with a consistent, convenient product for home use
and to expand their markets through innovative production
and marketing strategies. Instant coffee, first
introduced in 1938, was issued to American soldiers
during World War II, fueling an appreciation for
its convenience. The companies paired technological
advances, such as vacuum packaging and freeze drying,
with giveaway offers and catchy advertising slogans
like “Good to the Last Drop.” Per capita
availability of coffee rose 78 percent between 1910
and 1950.
So why the post-War downturn?
One likely cause is the increased availability of
alternative beverages, particularly carbonated soft
drinks. According to U.S. Bureau of the Census data,
estimated consumption of carbonated soft drinks
stood at 10.8 gallons per person in 1947. It then
began a long steep rise over the next half century
or so, hitting 51.5 gallons per person in 2005.
Coffee historians have speculated about other reasons
for declining coffee consumption since WWII, such
as changing lifestyles and adjustments to blending
and roasting practices.
Data on per capita coffee availability
are starting to reflect the growing popularity of
specialty coffees. Declining supermarket sales of
coffee have been offset by increases in coffee consumption
away from home. Private market research data show
sales at coffeehouses increased by 97 percent between
1998 and 2003. Per capita coffee availability has
risen almost 20 percent since its recent low in
1995. Upscale coffee shops appear to have hit the
mark for affluent coffee drinkers’ desire
for a café atmosphere that serves diverse,
quality coffee and coffee beverages, such as lattes,
cappuccino, espresso, and frozen coffees.
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