The Ever Expanding Marketplace of Coffee Demographics

Try to imagine the typical coffee drinker. Having trouble? That's understandable. With more than 80 percent of the American population over the age of 18 years drinking coffee at least occasionally, and well over 50 percent of Americans 18 years and older saying they drink coffee every day, coffee demographics show there is no typical coffee drinker. Men drink coffee. Women drink coffee. Older Americans drink coffee.

Twentysomethings and thirtysomethings drink coffee. Teenagers drink coffee, too. Latin American coffee drinkers, African American coffee drinkers, Asian American coffee drinkers: The average coffee bar today presents a veritable rainbow coalition of coffee lovers. In fact, the average American adult drinks well over three cups of coffee per day.

Most impressive of all, however, are the growing numbers of Americans who drink not just any old coffee by quality coffee or gourmet coffee. According to a recent study conducted by the National Coffee Association, approximately two out of three American adults say they drink gourmet coffee at least occasionally, almost double the number of gourmet coffee drinkers back in 1997. That dramatic increase has been fueled by the rise of gourmet coffee bars and coffee brands such as Starbucks coffee and Peet's coffee as well as independent gourmet coffee shops and coffee bars. Ever increasing in popularity as places to enjoy coffee away from home, they provide an ideal way to educate consumers' coffee tastes.

Younger Coffee Drinkers

Such gourmet coffee bars find growing support among a younger clientele. According to a coffee demographics survey conducted in 2001 by International Communications Research, 42 percent of all consumers in the 18 to 34 year old age group chose gourmet coffee bars when they wanted coffee away from home; and that percentage rose to 46 percent among those in the age range earning annual incomes of more than $75,000.

Numbers of teenage coffee drinkers are also on the rise. Gourmet coffee bars and specialty coffee drinks are seen as hip after-school and evening gathering places, particularly those that, like many Starbucks stores, offer WiFi Internet access; yet parents, who also frequent them, rightly regard such coffee bars as wholesome places for teens to meet. Iced and blended sweet coffee drinks with all the appeal of a milkshake educate teen coffee drinkers to the pleasures of good coffee flavor. Wallet-sized chain gift cards and debit cards are offered with catchy, hip designs that give them collectible appeal to a young coffee drinking audience.