São Paulo – Coffee simply as a hot drink is no longer a limitation for sector players from different countries. They believe Brazil needs to diversify its market and see the potential of other products that use coffee or caffeine as a differential. The discussions took place this Friday (26) at the Coffee Dinner & Summit in São Paulo, organized by the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé).
“The coffee market is out-of-date. Now, we need to look at the caffeine market. This includes energy drinks and even beauty products,” said Rodrigo Mattos, senior analyst at market intelligence firm Euromonitor.
Executive Cyrille Janet, from SCTA, believes to stay on top, companies must modernize. “Consumers are looking for different formats. During the pandemic, purchases moved to the web, takeout, or even in-office consumption. The malls were also on the internet, takeout, and companies. Brands grew boosted by innovation, renewal,” he pointed out.
Janet shared data depicting 88% of coffee consumption in the United States occurs in households. In this reality, the consumption of single servings has grown during the pandemic, surpassing the consumption of traditional methods.
For those who still want to invest in coffee as a drink, Albert Scalla from Stonex said they need to focus on promoting consumption to avoid being left behind. “Those who buy roasted coffee do not sell bags, but cups. So we see more and more companies pushing the [final] price [of the cup] upwards. Meanwhile, direct competitors grew, such as energy or caffeinated drinks,” pointed out Scalla.
Brazil
To position Brazil in this scenario, Pavel Cardoso, president of the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association (ABIC), believes it is up to the national industry to invest in marketing. Thus, consumer countries could see the Brazilian product as much more than a commodity. “The challenge remains precisely the export of roasted and ground coffee. A tremendous challenge, but an excellent opportunity to prepare our industrialists and Brazilian marketing,” he said.
For him, Brazil needs to transform the image of its coffee outside the country. “We are not only the biggest producer, but we surely produce the best coffees in the world,” he pointed out.
Pavel also recalled in the domestic market, the “portioned coffees” grew, driven by the habit of responsible consumption, since less is wasted when consumed in a single dose.
For Mattos, who addressed the markets in Asian countries, traditionally avid tea consumers, it is time to look at other products besides strained coffee. Now, we need to look at the caffeine market. Japan is much ahead in ready-to-drink beverages. But there is also coffee as an ingredient. In items such as whey protein, collagen, cold drinks, such as energy drinks, and even beauty products, due to their antioxidant properties, could probably be the future of caffeine,” he concluded.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
