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In April, the National Coffee Association (NCA) released its National Coffee Data Trends report, a biannual review of how Americans drink coffee. Every year, the NCA partners with the Specialty Coffee Association to produce a spinoff version that focuses specifically on specialty coffee.
The latest report shows an impressive rise in the popularity of specialty coffee: the number of people who drank specialty coffee in the last day had increased by 84% since 2011, when just 25% of survey respondents reported drinking specialty coffee. The NCA defined specialty as a beverage that “consumers perceive to be brewed from premium coffee beans/grounds.”
Of nearly 2,000 survey respondents, 46% said they drank specialty coffee in the past day, higher than the 42% who drank “traditional” coffee. Specialty coffee was most popular among younger drinkers aged 25-39, 64% of whom reported consuming a specialty coffee beverage in the last day.
“These findings affirm what our community has long believed—specialty coffee isn’t just growing; it’s becoming a defining part of how people experience coffee today,” said SCA CEO Yannis Apostolopoulos in the press release. “From origin to café, consumers are seeking quality, connection, and meaning in every cup.”
Read the full story on specialty’s growing popularity from Global Coffee Report here.
