Focus On Hot Beverages: 1 September

Focus on Hot Beverages by James Halliwell

Download the synopsis here

Publishing: 1 September

Submissions deadline: 16 August

Advertising deadline 16 August

Everyone’s a barista nowadays. A far cry from the days when the nation was grateful for a milky instant cuppa, Brits are now brewing their own espressos, macchiatos and lattes. This love of a barista brew is good news for the coffee market. Not only are consumers buying more, but their passion for a proper coffee bean means they’re buying pricier. So which products are winning big from the fresh wave of coffee enthusiasts? What will be the future trends? And what’s going on in tea?

Key themes:

Coffee

Premium: The average price of coffee has increased by 70p over the past year as consumers buy more premium products. This has all been helped along by an increasing number of innovations enabling consumers to have the barista experience at home, with some offering an on-the-go option to boot. To what extent are consumers being influenced by what they see in coffee chains? What is doing particularly well?

Pods and ground vs instant: There has been plenty of innovation in pods and ground coffee as brands look to grab a slice of the higher-end market. Who is innovating and to what extent will these formats overtake growth in instant coffee? Can ‘premium’ products such fend off a mass migration away from instant?

Flavour trends: We’ve had cold brew, turmeric lattes, broccoli coffee and even beetroot lattes. Which trends have influenced consumer buying habits in the past year, and what will be the big trend in the coming year?

Mergers: Nestlé’s alliance with Starbucks hit the headlines in May. What does that say about the coffee market and how will it influence what we see on the shelves?

Tea

Falling frequency: The tea market has faced more challenging times than coffee. Volumes have declined as shoppers buy less often. Why is this?

Experience: Part of the problem with tea is that is hasn’t tapped into the “experiential” opportunity as much as coffee – can new launches change this and how?

More than builders’ brew: Tea companies are trying to tempt back consumers with alternatives to the standard black variety. Not only are there a growing number of fruit & herbal varieties, but consumer demand for “clean drinking” is fuelling growth of matcha and turmeric teas. Can this buoy up the sector?

Coffee innovations: A run-down of the top launches in coffee, ideally ones that haven’t been featured in The Grocer before with manufacturer, image and launch date.

Tea innovations: A run-down of the top launches in coffee, ideally ones that haven’t been featured in The Grocer before with manufacturer, image and launch date.

Broccoli coffee: Sounds a culinary nightmare, but it’s tipped as the next health food. What is it and can it take off?

Hot chocolate

Innovation: What trends and launches are adding excitement to the hot chocolate category?

Key questions the feature is likely to address:

 What consumer trends have impacted the category over the past year?

 How have promotional strategies (both in terms of price and marketing) evolved?

 How has merchandising changed in the market?