History of instant coffee can high-quality instant coffee make the flavor of boutique coffee?

Today, instant coffee accounts for about 25% of global retail coffee consumption. But how did it get there?

Although instant coffee was first invented in the 18th century, it became popular as part of soldiers' rations during World War I. After the first World War, the disruption of the global economy meant that there was a coffee surplus across Brazil. Around 1930, Nestl é and the Brazilian Coffee Institute jointly developed instant coffee, which became popular during World War II.

From then on, its popularity began to grow. In the 1960s, freeze drying was introduced to improve the quality and flavor of instant coffee. Today, soluble coffee is still freeze-dried along with other major methods (spray drying).

Today, instant coffee (also known as soluble, powder or crystal) has been exported as a final product. It is also easier to transport than green or baked beans. It weighs less than whole beans, can withstand worse conditions, and is usually made from affordable robusta rather than Arabica coffee. All in all, this is a cheap and convenient coffee solution.

As of July 2020, soluble coffee shipments accounted for 9.1 per cent of global coffee shipments, an increase of 1 per cent over the same period last year, according to the ICO report. The market for soluble coffee is expected to grow at an annual rate of 4.2% by 2024. Europe is the world's largest consumer of soluble coffee, with a market share of 37%, followed by China (12%) and the United States (11%).

According to Euromonitor, contemporary demand for instant coffee usually comes from developing markets because of its low price and convenience.

In countries that have established specialty coffee markets, "the outlook is even more chaotic." Category foreground. However, "there are plenty of opportunities [in these countries] if the advantages of instant coffee can be effectively taken advantage of."

Instant coffee production today

Brazil is the world's largest producer and exporter of instant coffee. Brazil's export rate of soluble coffee increased by about 20% in the first quarter of 2020.

Other coffee-producing countries are experiencing similarly high growth rates. In 2020, Buencaf é, the producer of 100% Colombian freeze-dried coffee, reported its strongest financial position so far this year, with sales up 10% compared with the first half of 2019.

The rise of high-quality instant coffee

Several major consumer coffee brands have begun to offer instant coffee to enter this lucrative market. After announcing the partnership in 2018, Starbucks and Nestl é launched a "premium" line of soluble coffee in February 2020.

These products are now sold in many countries, including China, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Mexico. In a joint statement, both Starbucks and Nestl é acknowledged the rapid growth of the market for soluble coffee.

Kent Sheridan Sheridan is the founder of VOILA Instant Coffee, an American company that makes customized mixtures for third-party brands. He thinks soluble coffee is perfect for specialty coffee roasters during the Covid-19 pandemic. Many bakeries have turned more to e-commerce to increase sales. 'The growth of the special real-time market is very significant,'he said.

One of Kent's clients is Tr ê sMarias Coffee Company of the United Arab Emirates. Founder Maria Eduarda Becker Pavani told me that they launched a line of soluble coffee during the pandemic. Maria says she has noticed that even though some customers are looking for specialty coffee, many still lack the knowledge and equipment to prepare it. She says their instant coffee series can provide consumers with high-quality coffee to taste without extensive brewing knowledge.

The increase in demand for instant coffee may also benefit producers. When the pandemic forced many coffee shops to temporarily close and cancel orders for roasters, many roasters have been stuck in raw coffee stocks since the first quarter of 2020. Large stocks mean they cannot buy new imported coffee from producing countries. As a result, many producers are forced to sell special products at commodity prices.

We contacted Perfect Perfect Grind readers on Instagram and asked them what they thought of soluble coffee. The reaction is completely mixed. Some people say they are totally against it, while others say instant coffee has the potential to be used as a specialty coffee product.

However, many readers point out that instant coffee has a place in their lives, allowing them to enjoy coffee during travel or for a short period of time. "although it is certainly not suitable for fresh brewing, it is sufficient to meet the demand for [instant cups]," Sanjeevani Mahajan said. However, others believe that it cannot be regarded as instant coffee at all.

This belief needs to be changed, because special soluble coffee will never compete with or replace "coffee shop experience and freshly brewed cups". The purpose of professional instant food is only to "enable coffee lovers to choose an espresso when there is no fresh brewing coffee."

The market for specialty instant coffee already exists and may grow, but it has a poor reputation. Many professional coffee drinkers still think that instant solution is objectively bad. Not only that, the increase in the cost of professional instant food has also brought obstacles to the roaster and higher retail prices for consumers.

In order to increase the production of special instant coffee, the market will need to educate its customers first. The market needs to make coffee more accessible. The market must be there and growing, but the speed of market acceptance remains to be seen.