Full of beans: the hotting coffee market in Poland
Coffee is the most commonly consumed beverage in Poland — more than tap water and, mind you, beer.
This hasn’t always been the case.
Until the 17th century Poles would kick-start their mornings with a beer soup followed by a shot of vodka. (Vodka to “take away the bland taste of the beer soup”).
During the communist era, coffee was not just a luxury. It has become the effective currency. As opposed to money — worth next to nothing in the stores with empty shelves — a bag of coffee worked miracles with officials.
Best coffee came from Germany — the “lavish” bags of Jacobs and Tschibos were the height of sophistication. To this day, these German brands lead the polish market (Jacobs Douwe Egberts and Tschibo have 32,4 % and 16,4% market share respectively). Germany, although not producer, is also the largest importer into Poland, followed by Vietnam, Brazil, Uganda and India.
Today, according to market experts, average Pole consumes 2.6 kg of coffee per year. That’s 80% more than 10 years ago.
Coffee chain explosion
The first polish coffee-chain Green Caffe (now part of UK’ Caffe Nero) opened its first store 15 years ago. That’s like light years away from today Chemex and AeroPress priests (aka baristas) and clients nursing lattes at countless cafés.
“When we started — recalls Adam Ringer — nobody in Poland was going to a cafe. Launching a coffee place seemed like a crazy idea back in the day. And a sure waste of time and money.”
Since then, coffee shops — chain and independent ones — became destinations for work, socialising and convenience.
The specialty industry
Today, the polish coffee industry is an industry in its own rights and spawning job creation. We are also a shift in consumers’ willingness to pay more for a gourmet coffee.
And as 25,000 visitors to 2019’s Warsaw Coffee Festival could probably attest, the polish quest for better coffee is only beginning.
“Craft coffees are competing with mass producers. The coffee roasting market is seeing a dynamic growth in Poland, similar to what happened a few years ago on the craft beer market — says Krzysztof Szkutnik, Head Roaster at Etno Cafe.
Premiumisation has also spread to the home, with more polish households now owning a pod machine. In 2018, the coffee maker was the fastest growing category in the small domestic appliances segment.
Similarly to what happens in other countries, premium specialty sector is driving innovation among bigger chains. New products like nitro cold brew and cascara are moving the needle to the mainstream. It’s also more common to see a rotating menu of single origin coffees and super-premium small batches on offer — something that was limited just a few artisan coffee shops a decade ago.
Sources:
Culture.pl: “A Drink of the Devil: The History of Coffee in Poland” M. Kasprzyk-Chevriaux. https://culture.pl/en/article/history-of-coffee-in-poland
Wysokie Obcasy: “Adam Ringer: Cały czas słyszę, że zwariowałem” http://www.wysokieobcasy.pl/wysokie-obcasy/7,163229,24297797,adam-ringer-caly-czas-slysze-ze-zwariowalem.html?disableRedirects=true
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