itmemes
Japan, the canned coffee empire. Japan is one of those new markets for coffee. A country with a very long tradition of tea consumption. And in which coffee took a long time to be imported massively. But when it did, it went big: 87% of Japanese drink coffee regularly. If you decide to visit it, you can check that our favorite drink is everywhere and in all formats, including canned, both cold and hot.
As in Spain, the growth of coffee consumption in Japan took off from 1970, but there was much more spectacular. In the eighties, the first coffee franchise was consolidated, since the nineties. It became a product of widespread consumption. And In 2005, it displaced tea as a favorite beverage.
Japan is already the third country that imports more coffee (about 450,000 tons per year). Behind the United States and Germany. And the fourth that consumes the most (about 3.36 kilos per person per year, in 2009), according to the industry Colombian Much of that growth is due to ready-to-drink coffee. This segment has been in the market for more than 40 years.
Packaging canned coffee since 1969:
Do you know when the Japanese drink canned coffee? More or less, since the Japanese boom of vending machines began. A local toaster, launched in 1969, the canned liquid coffee, became popular in The 70s since the firm decided to give it away at a Universal Exhibition to gain followers. And he got it.
Canned coffee is sold in supermarkets, convenience stores, and vending machines (there are more than five million across the country) and is generally offered hot in winter and cold in summer.
Canned Coffee Consumed in Japan More Than Coca-Cola:
Thus it is easy to understand that canned coffee is consumed in Japan more than Coca-Cola. It is also presented as a fast and especially cheap alternative to 300-600 yen (2.30-4.60 euros) that can cost in a cafeteria.
As with other food products sold in Japan, there are currently numerous brands with a wide variety of canned coffees on the market, among which the competition is fierce. In 2004 alone, 136 items of this type went on sale, although not all survived.
In addition to the various combinations of coffee alone. With milk or cappuccino, the vending machines offer canned coffee flavored with the most exotic flavors (coconut, caramel, maple syrup, vanilla.). And other formats have joined the years with other forms, such as PET bottles, bricks, or sachets with drinking nozzles.
The growth of this sales channel boosted the interest of coffee-growing areas in Latin America for the Japanese market and also the commitment to improving the quality of this canned coffee.
And to take away, since 1980
As you can see, to be almost neophyte coffee growers, the Japanese have not stopped innovating. Unlike in the West, the Japanese take away the market developed after that of vending. Around 1980, long before well-known American chains extended the fashion of coffee on the go, there were already local franchises that at any time served coffee to take to the workers of the cities who were looking for the necessary fuel for their stressful working hours.
Coffee arrived in Japan in the 19th century. And at the end of that century, the first Kissaten opened, a type of traditional place for workers who could spend time, buy the newspaper and tobacco, and, in passing, have a cup of coffee or tea In them the consumption of filter coffee of medium quality was common.
With the extension of the culture of quality coffee, and the well-known preference of the Japanese for a product of higher added value. Many of these establishments improved their offer, and other coffee shops were born, which sell more top-quality coffees; espressos, coffee lattes, and cappuccinos with all kinds of toppings.
If you visit Japan, you can find a vast offer of coffee establishments and machines of all kinds on any corner, such as 24-hour shops where after paying you can serve yourself an espresso for about 100 yen.
Fashionable coffee shops:
You will differentiate, however, the trendy coffee shops. They have an acceptable menu of specialty coffees and color combinations, offer free Wi-Fi, and gather a lot of connected customers, taking photos or work.
There are also coffee rooms, a place where coffee is an art, there is a wide range of origins, and life seems to pass more slowly. The figure of the barista is also in fashion in the country of the rising sun, and, as in canned coffees, they exploit the smooth palate of the Japanese with proposals and mixtures of the most daring.
But if there is a leading country in themed coffees, that is Japan, with an exciting offer of establishments with pets to caress, with music or theatre, cafes with books or with trains.
In all these places you will find a complementary offer of sandwiches or cakes, and also in many thematic cases, even more, elaborate food dishes.
The ‘Top Five of the Most Coffee Countries:
The consumption of coffee is a trend worldwide, including in emerging markets such as China or Taiwan, associated with the Western imaginary tea consumption. But obviously, there are some more coffee lovers’ than others and cities within them in which the use of espresso is more than a ritual. If you love good coffee like us, you may want to know some curiosities of your fellow countrymen from other countries.
The United States is the country that buys the most coffee, but not the one that consumes the most. For years, it is the number one in coffee imports, with about 1.6 billion kilos per year. It is followed in this order by Germany (1,200 million), and at a great distance, Italy, Japan, and France, all with volumes that are around 500 million kilos.
The Finns, in the lead:
In consumption per person, the undisputed leader in Finland. With an average of 10 kilos of roasted coffee per capita, according to data from the International Coffee Organization (ICO). It means that each Finn consumes more than 3 cups a day. Well ahead of his neighbors in the Scandinavian peninsula, who accompany him in the ‘top five’ of the largest consumers. Finland is also a 100% specialist market; They like specialty coffee and their first supplier in Brazil.
The most characteristic of Finnish coffee is its roast, one of the lightest in the world. It is a product that is traditionally associated with domestic consumption. Although there are more and more coffee bars, especially in cities that join traditional premises. The coffee they serve is of excellent quality, and they offer blends and single origins prepared. Especially in a filter coffee maker—Finns like coffee (Kahvi) with a few drops of cream or liquid cream.
Norway, the Empire of Quality:
Norway is number two on the podium. Coffee consumption there is close to 10 kilos per person per year, and Brazil is also its first supplier. Like their Finnish neighbors, they like filter coffee, but unlike them, their consumption has traditionally been associated with the domestic environment.
The Norwegian Coffee Association has launched a coffee quality promotion program. And since the 1960s, the coffee industry has agreed to submit its processes to quality controls. It is why they are not only from the countries that buy the best coffee. But their professionals are among the most recognized. They meet strict standards on the grinding point and the amount of caffeine that each preparation should carry.
Like its Nordic ‘brothers’, Iceland is a tribute to specialty coffee, which is usually served by bars on the island. Our favorite drink is taken at all hours. And in the most varied establishments, including banks and supermarkets, where it is free. It is the third country with the highest per capita consumption, with 9 kilos per person per year.
Passion for coffee:
Iceland has taken advantage of its love for coffee to make it another tourist asset. Their cafeterias are more than espresso but offer their customers preparations in various coffee makers, including the V-60 and siphon. Among the older, is the coffee of triumphs, which is paid only once regardless of the number of cups you consume.
Sweden is also a very coffee country. With an average annual consumption of 8.8 kilos of coffee per person, according to the ICO, almost tied with Denmark ( 8.7 kilos per capita ). There the coffee break at work has a name, Fika. And the drink is associated with the consumption of candy, as we already told you in our blog. As in the rest of Scandinavia, coffee is traditionally linked to home and work, but it has extended to bars for decades.
Swedish Lattepapa’s:
The facilities to enjoy paternity leave have generated a phenomenon of the exaltation of paternity; young parents take their children to the park and coffee, which has given the establishments the nickname latte papas.
Denmark is the fifth power of coffee citizens. Its consumption, as in Scandinavia, occurs throughout the day. And also, as in Sweden has an associated name, the hygge. Coffee is another element of this Danish concept. That is associated with creating a relaxed and comfortable environment on the job. The Danes are also those who accompany the mid-morning coffee with sweets. And after the filter coffee maker, his favorite is the plunger. The Danish Coffee Association has created an information office on the product to publicize and popularize it.
If these are the most’ coffee lovers’ countries, what happens in Spain? The per capita consumption here is about 4.5 kilos a year; that is, exactly half of what Icelandic drinks and a little more than an American (4.9 kilos). The Italians, who have popularized espresso so much, take something else, 5.9 kilos per person per year.
