Café de Colombia, the most widely recognized origin in the USA

Bogotá, February 11, 2015 (FNC Press Office) – According to the National Coffee Drinking Trends (NCDT) study by the National Coffee Association (NCA), 85% of Americans recognize Colombia as a coffee-producing country.

Comparatively, Brazil is recognized by 67%, and Costa Rica, Kenya and Vietnam by 59%, 33% and 16% of respondents, respectively. The study ranks Colombia as the most widely recognized coffee-producing country in the USA.

Colombia also keeps leading perception of quality associated with origin: 96% of American consumers say Colombian coffee is good or excellent.

The study shows that 89% of regular coffee consumers and 75% of non-coffee consumers recognize Colombian coffee.

According to age groups, Café de Colombia is recognized by 89% of people 60+ years old, 88% of people aged 40 to 59, 82% of people between 25 and 39, and 77% of people between 18 and 24 years.

Young people are drinking more coffee

The study shows the key role that coffee plays in Americans’ lives: 61% of respondents consume coffee regularly, well above consumption of tap water (54%), bottled water (46%), tea (44%), soft drinks (41%) and juice (33%).

Current coffee consumption in the USA in the last 3 years had not been registered since 1975.

The most avid coffee consumers are aged 40 to 59 years (63%) and 60+ years (65%). Although people aged 18 to 24 years – including millennials – show the lowest coffee consumption (51%), consumption in this group grew faster than in any other age group between 2013 and 2014.

Average consumption by those aged between 18 and 24 grew from 2.3 cups to 3.3 cups per day. 

The younger the consumers, the more likely they are to prefer espresso-based drinks (cappuccino, espresso, mocha, latte, macchiato and Americano) and gourmet coffee (traditional drinks with premium beans, espresso-based, iced and ready to drink) over traditional coffee.

Young people are also opting for more sophisticated preparations, and are therefore a key niche for Café de Colombia.

All these trends confirm a steady growth in consumption of both gourmet coffee and espresso-based drinks, and in use of pod and espresso machines. In 2014, gourmet coffee consumption topped that of regular coffee for the first time in US history.

These results not only confirm Colombian coffee quality, but also successful origin promotion initiatives by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) and big opportunities for Café de Colombia as a premium product.