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Key Trends Spotted at The Canadian Coffee and Tea Show 2011
November 23, 2011
Comments (3)
With the onset of fall, industry events are back in full swing! This year, the ATS kicked off the fall trade show season by heading out West to visit a trade event we've never attended before, the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show, held from October 2-3, 2011 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.
The Canadian Coffee and Tea Show is the only national show for
the coffee and tea industry, showcasing the latest products and trends from
around the world. The show attracted over 140 exhibitors and a wide range of
attendees from chain retailers to restaurateurs, foodservice operators,
distributors, and buyers. Exhibitors at the show included both Canadian and
international companies, from countries such as Mexico, China, India and
Indonesia. The trade show featured an educational program with business
roundtables, workshops and sessions, as well as competitions, such as the
Canadian Barista Championship, Canadian Cup Taster Championship, Latte Throwdown
and So You Think You Can Be a Tea Sommelier competition.
Coffee is the most popular hot beverage in Canada with a total of 14 billion cups of coffee consumed annually. Tea is growing in popularity among Canadian consumers due to the growing awareness of the health benefits associated with this hot beverage. Trends in the coffee and tea industry parallel global market trends with consumers demanding value-for-money products and small affordable luxuries in the face of global economic uncertainty.
Key trends spotted at this year's Canadian Coffee and Tea Show include:
- Single serve and individualized coffee beverages, which consumers value due to the unique product lines, convenience and portability.
- A rise in consumption of green, white and herbal teas. Exotic specialty teas, such as chai, are also increasing in popularity and appeal to the consumer's desire for adventure.
- Innovative flavour variations to suit individual preferences. Up and coming flavours include acai, blueberry, passion fruit, coconut and mango. Inspiration from desserts or candies has led to other flavour innovations, such as banana pudding shake, red velvet frappe, and different fruit and chocolate combos.
- An emphasis on origin of product, sustainability, as well as organic and cause-related products e.g. products with fair trade certification.
- Attention to packaging and presentation with growing awareness that decorations and garnish, such as use of flavoured whipped cream, chocolate/cinnamon toppings, chocolate/caramel drizzle, and multicoloured straws, can have a huge impact on sales.
- Non-traditional coffee and tea preparations, such as coffee and tea based smoothies and frappes, coffee and tea cocktails, and coffee and dessert pairings.
The full report on the Canadian Coffee and Tea Show will be available on the ATS website shortly; so be sure to follow us on Twitter or subscribe to the ATS RSS feed to get updates on the latest reports being released!
Until next time,
Lammie Cheng
Market Analyst
lammie.cheng@agr.gc.ca
Comments
Reply (ATS Content Manager) // 09-December-2011
"Jay, Thanks for the feedback and the great tip. Tea is very close to the heart of the ATS team, we would write
about it everyday if we could, and we were thrilled to go to this show this year, our first time! Your note started us
discussing our personal favourites, and they were pretty varied. The time of day really dictates what type of tea I drink,
but Green tea is high on my list during the day with a nice white tea blend of an evening. Cheryl (frequent Blogger) likes
straight up English breakfast with milk, while Ben (team manager) is 100% dedicated to Lady Grey (Earl Grey's lighter relative),
he buys in bulk, addict is a good adjective (I will admit Lady Grey smells and tastes amazing, but it is very hard to find.
Although some local tea shops have borrowed from Twinning’s and have made up their own blend, so it is catching on). Robin
(Content manager) likes to try new things and has been raving lately about Vanilla Rooibos, it must be good because Cheryl
is quickly becoming a convert. Lastly, Peter (Web developer) made a pleasant error in the grocery store a few weeks ago and
bought Tetley "perk", instead of the regular variety and has been enjoying the benefits of the caffeine boost in the morning.
As you can see, this would be a tough "coffee run" for someone, but we are definitely tea enthusiasts and always eager to try a
new blend or variety."
Andrew J. Gephart // 29-November-11
"Hello, I simply wanted to take time to make a comment and say I have really enjoyed reading your site."
Latanya // 02-December-11
"Does this site have a page on Facebook?"
Reply (ATS Content Manager) // 02-December-2011
"No, but we do have a Twitter account (@ats_aafc) where we post interesting articles, upcoming webinars
and links to all of our new reports. I encourage you to follow!"
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Jay // 09-December-11
"Tea has been a long time tradition in my family. There is nothing better than a cup of tea (Tetley) boiled with milk and tea spices(google for more info). Lammie, thank you for this article."