How many people in the U.S. drink specialty coffee? What is the demand for specialty coffee? How has that grown over time?

These are a few of the most common questions the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) gets from the specialty community. Here’s what we know. From a macro view, specialty coffee consumption in the U.S. is growing and 2017 has seen a significant increase in daily specialty coffee drinkers. Furthermore, over the last 18 years, the number of daily specialty coffee drinkers has consistently increased, strengthening the consumer demand for specialty coffee.

Extracting and interpreting data from the National Coffee Association Annual Drinking Trends Report, the SCA has developed an infographic that paints a picture of specialty coffee consumption over time. The infographic is broken up into three parts: percentage of adults in the US drinking specialty coffee, cups per day per US drinker, and market share of specialty coffee in cups. Overall, this information demonstrates the continued consumer desire for more and better tasting coffee.

2017 U.S. Specialty Coffee Consumption Trends sca.coffee

Cups Per Day, Per U.S. Drinker

Source: National Coffee Association Annual Drinking Trends Study

3 CUPS

2 CUPS

1 CUP

Percentage of Adults in U.S. Drinking Specialty Coffee (2001–2017)

1999

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

OCCASIONALLY

WEEKLY

DAILY

53%in 2017

41%in 2017

67%in 2017

62%in 2001

30%in 2001

14%in 2001

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Market Share of Specialty Coffee, in Cups

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

40%

37%

46%

43%

51%

48%

51%

59%

105 15 20 25 60 %555045403530