Last Updated on November 16, 2021 by John Moretti
During recent years, the home delivery market saw a huge upwards surge in business, from groceries and takeaway meals to gadgets and homeware. This trend has continued upwards and has extended into other areas for consumers, including that of coffee.
The idea of coffee delivery began long before, with Starbucks pioneering the trend somewhat with their delivery service throughout the Empire State Building. Recent demands for coffee have spiked significantly through the lockdowns, and delivery services have grabbed the opportunity.
Where exactly did the trend of coffee delivery begin, and how does it compare to traditional food delivery services? What are the downfalls of this type of service, and how sustainable is this model? Continue reading to find out.
Why Is the Coffee Delivery Market Growing?
We are all familiar with the growing trend of home delivery when it comes to food like takeaways, but what we might be less familiar with is having fresh, hot coffee delivered to our doors.
For some people, the level of quality they are able to reach at home when it comes to making coffee simply doesn’t compare to the barista-made coffee at their local café.
Most people don’t have the correct machinery and equipment to make this kind of coffee at home, and even those who do, often lack the necessary experience and expertise to deliver top-notch coffee.
Having your favorite brew delivered right to your door, without the need for you to venture out to your local Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, is something highly appealing for a vast number of Americans, especially those who don’t have the time, knowledge, or equipment to make their own café quality coffee.
Perhaps you usually make coffee at home, but you’ve suddenly run out and desperately need your caffeine fix. Coffee delivery just might save your day.
Perhaps you work in an office, and you’re in need of a refuel that only coffee can give you, but you simply don’t have the time to leave the office to venture out to your nearest coffee shop. This is another instance in which coffee delivery would be the perfect option for you.
How Coffee Delivery Began
In an online survey with Starbucks, the number one requested item was a coffee delivery service. This increasingly strong request was finally made into reality in 2015 when Starbucks started delivering coffee in the Empire State Building in New York City
Starbucks already had a shop in the building, and they simply partnered up with Seattle-based Postmates, making use of their Green Apron Delivery service. This service allowed customers to order Starbucks coffee for delivery through the app.
Starbucks already had a system in place that allowed you to order your coffee online and pick it up at the shop without needing to wait in a queue. The delivery option was simply another layer that was added to this.
Dunkin’ Donuts, also in 2015, partnered up with Door Dash to begin delivering coffee to its loyal client base, and they quickly started expanding into an increasing number of cities.
Another pioneer of this trend is an online service called Eat24hours.com, which allows you to enter your zip code and be shown a list of restaurants that will be able to deliver coffee to you.
Fetch Coffee was another startup that hosted a coffee delivery subscription service. This service, costing $45 per month, allowed you to schedule whenever you wanted coffee deliveries each week. The coffee is brought to your door at the chosen time and left in a thermos flask.
Challenges of Coffee Delivery
As with food delivery services, there are numerous challenges associated with coffee delivery. It is often more problematic in the context of coffee because the temperature and taste of the coffee can be greatly impacted by the time taken to deliver the coffee.
There is a very short window, therefore, during which coffee can be delivered without compromising on quality and flavor. This is a major challenge, but not one that cannot be easily overcome.
As the temperature of the coffee decreases, the flavor and aromas tend to change quite rapidly. People who order coffee tend to have particular preferences and high expectations for their coffee, and so it can be challenging to deliver the expected standard every time.
The Growth of Food Delivery Services
The boom of home deliveries has been largely sparked by the lockdowns, with expected revenues of over 164.5 billion dollars by the year 2024.
This is further exacerbated by the increased popularity of home entertainment, with the majority of people opting to enjoy their home-delivered food while watching a show on an online streaming platform of their choosing.
It is no surprise, therefore, that this enormous growth has trickled into the coffee world, with an abundance of coffee delivery options now available.
Other Coffee Trends
As tends to happen with coffee, there are always new and exciting trends emerging onto the market. Along with home deliveries, there are several new coffee trends that will soon become commonplace, increasing with popularity with time.
Dalgona coffee, or whipped coffee, is one such trend that took the internet by storm, quickly becoming a household term with every coffee enthusiast.
While making use of instant coffee might seem taboo to any real coffee lover, it seems there is an exception to the rule when it comes to Dalgona Coffee. This South Korean recipe makes use of instant coffee, sugar, and water to create a light whipped coffee.
Nitro cold brews have also gained popularity in recent years, which is essentially cold brew coffee that has been infused with nitrogen gas, adding micro bubbles which boost the coffee’s flavor overall.
Some other trends include matcha lattes and coffee drive-throughs, the latter of which have proven to be a major convenience that is one step below coffee delivery.
Conclusion
As with countless changes occurring around the world due to recent events, the scene of food and beverage delivery has started to shift drastically.
The interest in high-quality barista coffee has grown exponentially in recent years, and so has the home delivery business on the whole.
With the majority of the population spending more time at home and avoiding public places as far as possible, as well as an ever-increasing demand for convenience, there is a growing trend towards deliveries and subscription services of every kind. Coffee is no exception.
