- Almost half of coffee drinkers now regularly drink plant-based options out of home
- With plant-based coffees now a daily habit for more than 3 million[1] Brits
- Exclusive new research[2] released as Alpro For Professionals powers up for London Coffee Festival (stand HP12)
Almost half of coffee drinkers now regularly drink plant-based options out of home, with the figure set to continue rising, according to new research commissioned by plant-based pioneer Alpro For Professionals.
The brand, which is the only to offer a full range of plant-based drinks specifically formulated for baristas, has found that 48% of coffee drinkers are now regularly choosing plant-based options on the go – with taste, health and environment among the biggest motivations for doing so. Meanwhile, only one in five of all coffee drinkers report that they have yet to try a plant-based alternative out of home.
In fact, plant-based options are becoming so popular, that three out of 10 coffee drinkers (28%) revealed that they now choose a plant-based coffee shop option at least once a week, whilst one in 14 said they opt for plant-based coffees on the go every day.
Across the UK, it is estimated that 21 million plant-based coffee drinks[3] are now being served each week, with more than two out of five (44%) of all the coffee drinkers surveyed saying that they will ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ be planning to drink more plant-based coffee during the coming year.
Men aged 34 and under are the most likely group to start adding plant-based into their out of home repertoire and again, taste, health and environment are among the biggest motivations for them deciding to give plant-based a try.
“Our new research shows there is a massive opportunity for coffee outlets of all shapes and sizes to make sure they are making the most of plant-based during the year to come,” explains Abbie Hickman, Head of Coffee Marketing for Alpro UK & Ireland. “No longer a niche offering, plant-based has now firmly hit the mainstream as a choice for an ever-increasing number of coffee drinkers, irrespective of their dietary persuasion.”
Drilling down further into coffee lovers’ appetite for plant-based, almost half of coffee drinkers (45.5%) say it’s now important to them that their favourite coffee shop offers plant-based alternatives. And one in four coffee drinkers (25%) say they are more likely to be a regular visitor to the same outlet if it offers a good range of plant-based alternatives.
A similar number of all coffee drinkers (27.7%) say they now want to see more plant-based drinks options on menus, with Soya, Almond, Coconut and Oat options making up their favourite serves.
“To make the most of this opportunity, baristas and coffee shop owners should add a broad choice of plant-based options to their menu,” adds Hickman. “And the good news is that Alpro can make it incredibly easy to either get started, or add to your repertoire. Each of our Alpro For Professionals products has been specifically developed to work with coffee in terms of both taste and performance – so whatever your plant-based ambitions, you can rest assured that you can create delicious plant-based coffees without compromise.”
The brand will be shining a spotlight on the Alpro For Professionals line-up at London Coffee Festival (28th – 31st March), sampling its Soya, Almond, Coconut and Oat variants in a delicious range of hot drinks, including flat whites, hot chocolates and chilled lattes, while also highlighting its unrivalled sustainability credentials, which includes sourcing 60% of its soya beans from Europe and 100% of its almonds from the Mediterranean.
For more details on the Alpro For Professionals range please visit: www.alpro.com/for-professionals.
[1] Based on 6.98% of UK coffee drinkers who drink a plant-based coffee OOH every day
[2] Censuswide survey of 2,001 UK adults including 1,647 coffee drinkers – study conducted between 18th – 21st March 2019
[3] Based on the number of plant-based OOH coffee drinkers nationwide (39.4% of the UK adult population) multiplied by the number of OOH plant-based coffee serves each week (1.02)
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