Differentiated coffee quality – establishing market segments

CONSUMERS NOWADAYS have become more conscientious about the product they consume, giving consideration to how it is produced, where it is produced and by whom. Of equally great importance also is with respect to the inputs that are applied in the cultivation of these crops.

And if that is not enough, consumers are now seeking to differentiate products by way of quality, which could simply mean, knowing where the coffee is produced, knowing if it is sun or shade coffee, knowing if its bird-friendly coffee, or knowing if it is single origin or Estate coffee, among others.

The 2019 National Coffee Drinking Trends figures published by the National Coffee Association (NCA) of the USA provide a good guide of how coffee quality differentiation has segmented coffee markets based on what customers are looking for.

Whereas for some persons’ quality coffee means a cup of coffee that is freshly brewed within the past hour or so, for others quality has a more wellinformed and more sophisticated meaning.

Therefore, gaining consumer confidence is the most effective manner of building and maintaining market demand and market share, and this begins with understanding the consumer perspective of quality and not necessarily the supplier’s perspective of quality.

According to the NCA study, millennials are increasingly enticed by gourmet coffees, and while a large proportion of Americans have a cup of coffee daily, most of those persons are have their coffee at home.

The coffee value chain assessment is therefore important to help the coffee industry to understand the complicated coffee market, which is becoming more and more segmented by consumer tastes. Some consumers place greater value on coffee varieties irrespective of where it is grown, for others it is the response of those varieties to the varying microclimates that is the key, and yet are there others for whom quality is based on the uniqueness of the flavour profile.

Quality coffee is one that exposes its individuality displayed in the aroma, taste or body as the drinker take his or her sip. As consumers become more knowledgeable about the coffee they are consuming it will determine the quality of the coffee they want to consume, which could eventually lead to a differentiated coffee quality on the rise.

As we celebrate the hard work of our coffee farmers on International Coffee Day, go on out and get your favourite cup, and if you do not yet have a favourite, let today be the day you decide on one. Happy International Coffee Day.