Latinos lead in coffee consumption: Numero uno in US

By Ariana Montelongo de Valdivia, Being Latino

Cafecito. Café con leche.  Café de Olla. Cortadito Cubano. There are many ways that Latinos enjoy their coffee – and boy do they love their coffee. It’s a cultural pastime that’s inherited from generation to generation. This we’ve known forever, but now, there are numbers to back that up.

A recent study conducted by the National Coffee Association (NCA) reports that 74 percent of Latinos drink more coffee than their non-Latino counterparts, outpacing them by 12 percent.

Also, Latinos appear to drink more premium coffee types than non-Latinos. Forty-six percent say they drink gourmet coffee beverages daily versus 29% of non-Latinos and, for daily espresso consumption, 32% versus 11%.

Higher consumption across all age groups.

Of those 18-24 years of age, 57% said they drink coffee daily versus 48% for non-Latinos. Daily consumption among other age groups for Latinos versus non-Latinos were: 74% versus 60% among 25-39 year olds; 78% versus 63% for those 40-59; and 87% versus 70% for the 60+ group.

Spanish speakers drink more

Within the  Latino population, acculturation distinctions came with their own set of behavioral differences. The overall higher daily consumption levels were further elevated among the sub-group who identified as Spanish-speaking versus bilingual or English-dominant. Among the Spanish-speaking sub-group, 80% said they drink coffee daily, compared with 77% of the bilingual group and 63% of those identifying as English-dominant.

They like it fancy

Acculturation also plays a role in preferences for gourmet coffee. Espresso-based beverages were consumed at least once per week by 57% of the Spanish-dominant group, compared with 55% for the bilinguals and 35% for the English-dominant. Cappuccino came in, respectively, at 38%, 34% and 16%, and espresso at 38%, 31% and 16%.

Capitalizing on the Cafecito Factor

The NCA seeks to capitalize on growing coffee consumption by providing a virtual coffeehouse experience with the launch of My Virtual Coffeehouse. The site, which recently added some Spanish-language sections, aims to provide ambiance, music playlists, recipes, causes and videos of celebrities having coffee, likeComedians in Cars Getting Coffee, featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Ricky Gervais.

Word to the wise

As the business savvy gear up to drive coffee sales by targeting Latinos, reading my recent article, Latinos a Niche No More, is recommended to learn the ways in which Latinos prefer to be marketed to. As it turns out, Latinos don’t consider themselves a niche. But treating them to a hot cup might be a great way to conduct business.

As for my preferences, I leave you with this:

• Best song about café – Morena Mia by Miguel Bose & Julieta Venegas (the song is hot hot caliente like coffee, it talks about sin, pleasure and mmm mmm café.

• Un buen chisme (good gossip) is the best compliment to good coffee.

• Best saying about coffee: Las penas con pan son buenas – and while the saying doesn’t mention coffee, a nice hot cup goes hand in hand with a good piece of bread.

• Best coffee-related memory – watching my then four-year-old sister walk into my grandparents’ house and request “un cafecito por favor.” Then both of us giggling at my grandpa’s audibile sip sip aaaaaah.

• Favorite brewing method: K-Cup, hands down. Did you know there’s up to 22 ways to make coffee? I’ve tried about a third of them – what’s your preference?

This article was first published in Being Latino.

Ariana Montelongo de Valdivia is a graduate of the University of Houston and has worked in Public Relations with the American Heart Association, LifeGift Organ Donation Center, Edelman Public Relations and currently hosts two TV shows on HMS TV (Houston MediaSource).Ariana can be followed on Twitter @AriMontelongo .