FE ATU R ES /
IN S IGHT
TRENDS IN COFFEE Experts weigh in on the evolution of the coffee industry.
Eden Nebreja: A growing trend in the
coffee industry is offering a greater variety of coffee drinks and flavoured beverages for an ever-evolving coffee-drinking audience. Now, when you go to a coffee shop, there are dozens of drinks you can pick. Here are some new types of specialty drinks that are going to be popular in 2020: Firstly, non-dairy milk variation has grown in popularity over the last couple years and has recently started impacting coffee trends. We expect to see a flow of non-dairy milk varieties offered in local cafés. Soy, lactose-free, or almond milk are pretty well-established, but options like oat, rice, coconut, hazelnut milk may take center stage in 2020 as dairy substitutes and creamer alternatives. Secondly, ready-to-drink coffee. People are increasingly on the go, and they are looking for coffee and drinks that are easy to carry around. Ready-to-drink coffee like bottles
MEET THE EXPERTS TSSC
Eden Nebreja, Marketing Manager
Cypher Urban Roastery
Mohamad Merhi, Managing Partner
Bon Café Middle East
Aparna Barretto, Managing Director
Specialty Batch Coffee
Ryan Godinho, Owner & Roastmaster
22
The Pro Chef Middle East / Edition 49
of pre-made coffee, frappuccinos, or cold brew that you can find in gas stations and convenience stores have been a successful solution for customers on the move. Lastly, the ‘signature drink – like the Spanish latte was huge demand over the last year and everyone's is now talking about Dalgona Coffee a whipped coffee made with just three ingredients –it’s like a cappuccino turned on its head, with the frothy coffee on top and the milk underneath.
Mohamad Merhi: The industry is evolving. Consumers demand has emphasized the importance of transparency and quality. This change can be witnessed vividly from the countries of origin - coffee producing countries. There has been a big focus on improvements along the supply chain from coffee planting to processing techniques. Farmers/Producers are working hard to innovate and utilize available technologies to enhance the process at their level. For example, there has been a trend to experiment with various fermentation methods leading to new flavor profiles that indulges the palette of the drinker. With regards to end users, Millennials appreciate specialty coffee and now pay attention to the coffee grading and quality schemes made by the coffee brands.
Aparna Barretto: Most of the baristas working in the coffee shops are posting their brew guides in social media. Sharing to everyone their different brewing techniques and guides that may or will help aspiring coffee enthusiast and sharing what differ or trends are happening in their respective region or country. We predict that there will be a surge and demand on online courses or masterclass offered by various coffee suppliers and along with this e-commerce will be one of the major distribution channel within the coffee industry.
Ryan Godinho: In terms of coffee, more specifically, coffee production, this year we are witnessing a lot of innovation specifically at farm level. There seems to be more 'processing' advancements seen utilising fermentation techniques, with time, temperature, air and additives as variables. Farmers are able to harvest an 'average' coffee and make it above average by using these techniques to manipulate the resultant flavour profiles. Essentially, this could mean; what we know as the origin flavour characteristics of say the fruity Ethiopian, could partially be implemented into a very distinct nutty Brazilian. On the other hand, you could also expect something like cinnamon to be added to the fermentation process to bring out a whole new dimension of a coffee.
PHOTOGRAPHS SUPPLIED
WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU WITNESSING IN THE COFFEE INDUSTRY THIS YEAR?