ALLEGRA PROJECT CAFE
TOP THREE TAKE-OUTS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Roslyn Coombe, Customer Marketing Manager
Project Café UK 2022 is Allegra World Coffee Portal’s definitive annual analysis on the UK’s expansive branded coffee shop market.
Project Café UK identifies the growth, size and value of the branded coffee shop market and provides a strategic examination of the current and post-COVID trading environment. With in-depth consumer research and operator consultations, the report unpacks major trends, key opportunities and potential barriers to growth.
In terms of headline data, the UK's £4.4bn branded coffee shop market grew 43% over the last 12 months to regain 87% of pre-pandemic market value. However, the VAT rise, new Covid-19 variants and ongoing staff shortages present potential challenges to full recovery.
For the full round-up please speak to your Coffee Sales Manager.
In the meantime, here's our top three take-outs!
1. FOCUS ON FUNDAMENTALS
- Consumers year on year, are opting for the same coffee favourites: latte, cappuccino & flat white.
- The majority of consumers (59%) opt for regular (12oz) drinks
- Almost 60% of dairy milk drinkers choose semi-skimmed
- Salted caramel replaced hazelnut as a top syrup flavour alongside Caramel and Vanilla
Our Recommendation: Less is more
Don’t overcomplicate your core menu. Offer a limited number of drinks that can be customised as needed with toppings and syrups.
Check out our menu builder tool below for more guidance.
Seasonal specials provide the opportunity to change things up throughout the year without overwhelming your menu.
2. REVIEW YOUR NON-DAIRY OFFER
Accordingly to Allegra's findings, consumer focus on health & wellness and the environment continues to drive growth in dairy alternatives across UK coffee shops.
Starbucks, Costa & Pret have now all removed the sur-charge for dairy alternatives.
World Coffee Portal research shows oat is now the UK’s preferred dairy alternative in UK coffee shops, overtaking the previous favourite, coconut.
Underlining the trend, in late 2021 Starbucks launched its new ‘oat latte platform’, a range of coffee beverages intended to optimise the flavour of oat dairy alternatives.
Further indicating growing demand for plant-based dairy alternatives in the UK, in November 2021, Belgium-based Alpro completed a £23m upgrade to its production facility in Kettering, which is now capable of producing 300 million litres of plant-based beverages every year. Swedish competitor, Oatly, has also announced plans open a new UK production site by 2023.
Our Recommendation: Review your alternative milk offer
When it comes to plant-based drinks, your offer needs to tick all the boxes in terms of taste, performance and value and the choice is ever increasing. We've spent the last year perfecting a range that does everything you could want from a non-dairy milk alternative. It arrives in April and can be previewed in our Espresso Warehouse catalogue.
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Sustainability is high on the agenda for UK coffee shop consumers. 69% believe the sustainability of coffee supply chains is an important factor when making a coffee shop purchase.
Whatsmore, with the vast majority of global scientific experts declaring that the climate emergency is not only real, but an urgent crisis that needs to be addressed, the public is becoming more used to changed behaviour requirements, such as using less plastic and producing less waste.
We offer a wide range of POS covering certifications, farmers and carbon neutraility.
Cupple cups are an ingenious combination of coffee cup and water bottle.
Our Recommendation: Ask your suppliers to support you
- Check out the Matthew Algie Trello board for downloadable images and copy about Fairtrade, coffee farmers and carbon neutrality
- Ask you Coffee Sales manager about our Sustainability POS
- continue to encourage cup reuse with discounted coffee and sales of Keepcups and our brand new Cupples.
Roz Coombe
Customer Marketing Manager at Matthew Algie
"For the full round-up and recommendations contact your Coffee Sales Manager"
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