The future of the coffee industry

The Canadian market
The Canadian market is relatively small compared to other countries in the world; however it is quite sophisticated and well served by local distributors, retailers and shops in each major city. In this context, the competition will continue to be strong, posing challenges for all companies. The trend will evolve into more specialization, with companies offering premium blends, ethical “fair trade” products and exotic flavours to attract new consumers.
Fast-food chains such as McDonald’s will continue to focus on improving the quality of coffee served, to gain more market share. Restaurants are also major purchasing points for coffee that will continue developing private labels and branding.
The battle for market share appears to focus, not on the area of cost reduction or mass production, but rather through the marketing of new products tailored to the consumers’ particular tastes.

Consumers
Consumers, both young and old, have rediscovered coffee, being exposed to premium coffee products, single-serve formats and iced coffees. Iced coffees in particular have captured the interest of the youth market and have introduced these young consumers to coffee, increasing the chance that they will continue to be consumers throughout their lives. Although coffee has historically been identified as a morning beverage, these new consumers will likely contribute to expanding traditional consumption patterns in the future.
On the other hand, North American consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety of their food, as well as the environmental and social implications of its production; therefore they are demanding more organic and fair-trade products. As a result, the market share of environmentally and socially certified coffee has grown considerably and the trend is expected to continue. The chain stores