If there\u2019s one thing Gen Z and Millennials agree on, it\u2019s iced coffee. Plus, the US coffee industry is booming, and bamboo-based reusable coffee cups might not be as eco-friendly as advertised.
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The younger you are, the colder you probably like your coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s according to a report from Allegra World Coffee Portal<\/a>, which showed that eight out of ten coffee drinkers under the age of 35 bought an iced coffee drink at least once a week. The survey also found that almost a quarter of cafe customers drink iced coffee every day, something that the Bloomberg <\/em>article credits with \u201chelping US coffee shops bounce back from a Covid hit, and the industry is now topping pre-pandemic levels.\u201d (More on that later.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Half of \u201cindustry leaders\u201d consider iced coffee the most important current market trend, according to Allegra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The survey builds on<\/a> several years of reports<\/a> that Starbucks, the biggest coffee chain in the US with more than<\/a> 16,000 stores, is increasingly reliant<\/a> on iced drinks. Cold coffee beverages now account for 75% of the brand\u2019s sales, while up north in Canada<\/a>, iced coffee makes up 40% of Tim Hortons sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Recent analysis<\/a> and news articles<\/a> point to Gen Z<\/a> (currently 26 and under<\/a>) as the main driver<\/a> of this trend. Previously<\/a>, it was millennials (27-42) who were considered<\/a> the iced coffee-focused generation. Allegra\u2019s new survey shows that it\u2019s a shared fascination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>\u00a0or via\u00a0Yahoo! Finance<\/em>\u00a0here<\/a>. Coffee makes up 1.3% of the entire US economy, according to a new economic impact report<\/a> from the National Coffee Association<\/a> (NCA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consumers spent nearly $110 billion on coffee and related goods in 2022, the report found, or about $301 million each day\u2014mostly on iced coffee. The total economic impact of the US coffee industry was $343.2 billion, up 52.4% from the last time the report was commissioned in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Market research firm Technomic<\/a> compiled the report, which reflects \u201call economic activity in the US coffee economy,\u201d according to the NCA, \u201cthe majority of which is created in the food service sector.\u201d Other elements of the coffee industry measured in the report include the economic impact of importers, transportation, sweeteners and flavorings manufacturers, maintenance, and accounting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of those working in the coffee economy, the report found that the industry is responsible for more than 2.2 million US jobs and generates over $100 billion in wages. While Daily Coffee News<\/em> notes that this comes out to an average of $46,000 per year, that number doesn\u2019t necessarily address the wage disparity between hourly workers like baristas<\/a> and top executives<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis landmark study confirms the great news that coffee not only fuels our daily lives, it is a powerful engine for jobs, communities, and the U.S. economy,\u201d said NCA President and CEO William \u201cBill\u201d Murray (no, not that<\/em> Bill Murray) in a press release<\/a>, \u201call while supporting coffee farmers\u2019 livelihoods in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The positive message from the NCA stands in stark contrast to two recent reports that warned of income and funding inequalities within the wider coffee industry. A recent white paper<\/a> from World Coffee Research<\/a> warned of an \u201cinnovation crisis\u201d in coffee and a funding gap of $452 million a year over the next decade to protect the diversity and quality of green coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the authors of the 2023 Coffee Barometer<\/a> wrote that<\/a> \u201cit is crucial to recognize the interconnectedness between globalization of production, natural resource depletion, and the exploitation of marginalized and impoverished communities. While the sector\u2019s total economic value has significantly increased, the benefits seem to be disproportionately concentrated in Europe and North America.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read the full story here<\/a>. \u2018Indigenous Suru\u00ed Turn Invaders\u2019 Crop into High-quality Amazonian Coffee<\/a>\u2019 – via Mongabay<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Kenya Woos Starbucks to Buy Coffee Directly From the Country<\/a>\u2019 – via Zawya<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018SCA Hosting Third Online Green Coffee Summit in December<\/a>\u2019 – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018NKG Pace Is Now Accepting Applications For 2024-25<\/a>\u2019 – via Sprudge<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Woman Who Burned Herself on Dunkin\u2019 Coffee Settles for $3 Million<\/a>\u2019 – via CNN<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018La Marzocco Launches Next-Generation Strada X and S Machines<\/a>\u2019 – via Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Coffee Companies That Emphasize Hiring Disabled Workers Fall Short<\/a>\u2019 – via Non Profit Quarterly<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2018Harrar At 20,000 Feet: Multiple Lawsuits Threaten In-Flight Coffee Service<\/a>\u2019 – via\u00a0Sprudge<\/em> It depends on what you\u2019re drinking it from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Charities and retailers in the United Kingdom are selling reusable cups<\/a> made from bamboo, a material that\u2019s often marketed as \u201ceco-friendly.\u201d However, many of these cups contain a plastic resin, which could potentially leach dangerous substances and make the cups difficult to recycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An article from The Observer, The Guardian\u2019s <\/em>sister Sunday newspaper, <\/em>found that products made from bamboo with a melamine formaldehyde resin were being sold by the charities WWF-UK and the Wild Planet Trust, despite concerns from regulators that they \u201cmay allow the accelerated degradation of plastic that can contaminate the food or drink and may be a risk to health.\u201d Both charities removed the cups from sale after being contacted by the newspaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2019, the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment conducted tests<\/a> on \u201cbambooware\u201d products and found that, when filled with hot liquids like coffee or tea, they could release melamine and formaldehyde. While there are no immediate health risks from using such products, The Observer <\/em>reports, \u201crepeated exposure to elevated levels of melamine and formaldehyde may be a risk to health, with melamine linked to toxic effects in the kidneys.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Previous studies<\/a>\u00a0have looked at the impact of hot liquids on the plastic lining of paper coffee cups, finding that to-go cups can leach microplastics\u00a0ranging from<\/a>\u00a0thousands\u00a0to\u00a0trillions<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em>of particles. \u2018Time For a Coffee Cartel?\u2019 by Keun Lee<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2018NCA Economic Impact Report: US Consumers Spend $301 Million Per Day on Coffee\u2019 – via <\/strong>Daily Coffee News<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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