How do Poles drink their coffee? How does our consumption of this beverage compare to other countries? Today we will look at a handful of statistics and try to answer these questions.
But before we get into the substance, let’s first define what coffee actually is. In short, it is a drink prepared from roasted beans of the coffee plant, a plant that originated in Ethiopia, where it was already drunk ca. 1000 years BC.
In the 15th century, the custom of drinking coffee spread to the Arab countries, from which – with the expansion of Islamic culture – it reached other parts of the Old World.
Although coffee raised some questions at first, especially of a religious nature, it eventually became part of Middle Eastern culture and became one of the pillars on which the Ottoman Empire built its power.
Today, the largest coffee producers are Brazil (⅓ of the world market), Vietnam and Colombia, and annually, approx. 400 billion cups are consumed worldwide. So, there is a good chance that you are reading this text over a steaming serving of black motivation!
How do Poles drink their coffee?
And what does it look like in Poland? What are the coffee habits between the Oder and Bug rivers?
The answer to this question is provided by the results of a study conducted in 2022 by the Biostat Research and Development Centre. The entire results can be found here: https://www.biostat.com.pl/zdrowie-polakow-kawa.php
It turns out that when it comes to coffee consumption, Poles are in the middle of the pack. 3 kg of coffee consumed per year puts us in about 10th place in the world. This is not a bad result, but we are still a long way from the Scandinavian countries, where about 10 kg of coffee per head is consumed annually. A question of climate? Probably!
How often?
Those of us who drink coffee most often drink two or three cups a day. ⅔ of Polish coffee drinkers do so. Another 30% drink three or four cups a day and 4% drink five or more.
The graph below shows how the age of the consumer relates to the amount of coffee drunk. It turns out that the group most likely to drink three or four cups are those aged 50-59. In contrast, those aged between 30 and 39 are most likely to drink more than five coffees a day.
This says a lot about who works the most and hardest!
Instant or brewed?
When it comes to the way coffee is prepared, almost 40% of Polish coffee drinkers drink instant coffee. This is by far the easiest and quickest way to make black brew, so this statistic should come as no surprise.
White coffee, cappuccino, and espresso rank slightly lower, with around 28% of Poles surveyed admitting to drinking coffee in this form.
Next (27%) comes the so-called ‘coffee with dirt’, which is ground coffee poured into a cup and poured over hot water.
Other types of coffee are much less popular.
Black or white?
The results are clear – over 60% of Poles prefer to drink their coffee with milk!
Interestingly, among Polish men, opinions on whether coffee should be drunk with or without milk are almost evenly split. 54% drink their coffee black, while 55% add milk to their coffee.
What influences the overall statistic is women’s tastes, as almost 70% of them prefer white coffee.
Whether this has to do with the greater gentleness of Polish women and their sophistication – judge for yourself!
Another interesting trend is that coffee with milk and sugar is more likely to be taken by younger people. As we get older, the tendency to drink coffee without any additives increases.
You can clearly see who grew up in difficult times!
Coffee and retail
OK, but how does how Poles drink coffee translate into retail?
How can a retail manager use this information?
Simple! As we pointed out in one of our earlier blog articles, coffee has a positive impact on the consumer’s shopping experience. It puts them in a good mood and makes them more willing to spend their money.
Here is the link: https://perfecta-retail.com/the-impact-of-coffee-on-shopper-experience/
As a producer of retail furniture, Perfecta’s range of coffee corners can fit into the space of virtually any shop. You can find them here: https://perfecta-retail.com/our-products/coffee-stations/
Nothing therefore stands in the way of capitalising on Poles’ love of coffee and offering them the opportunity to consume their favourite beverage while shopping!
It’s a win-win!
