Consumption
Vivacious, cheerful, exotic. A dream from faraway places that brightens
our moments of relaxation, marks the moments in our day and fills life
with flavour.
Every morning more than one and a half billion people
in the world start the day with a cup of coffee. Even though the methods
of preparation are different: moka, filter, instant, espresso,
everywhere in the world coffee is a must, a little ceremonial that marks
the moments in our day.
Somewhere between obscure fascination for an
energising product and a social custom, coffee has created a huge
movement of capital, its enormous diffusion worldwide even more
extraordinary if we consider that it is not fundamental for survival.
In
Italy, coffee is concentrated and drunk for its energising and
digestive properties: 70% is made at home, the remaining 30% is drunk at
coffee bars or restaurants.
The per capita consumption of coffee is
around 5 Kg, i.e. 600 cups per year, with the highest consumption in
adults and a lower consumption in young adults and the elderly. From a
recent survey on the attitudes and habits of the Italians with regard to
the consumption of coffee, it emerged that 80.5% of the population
drink coffee; the figure rises to 89.8% for the population aged between
40 and 49 years, while it drops to 70.1% in young adults aged up to 29
years, but for whom the consumption of coffee is increasing.
The data
for the regular consumers are: the average number of coffees per day is
2.7; over 47% of consumers drink 3 cups or more per day, and 56% of
consumers are males.
Italy imports per annum around 324,000 tons of
green coffee , half of which is Arabica and half Robusta; it exports
around 3,800 tons of coffee abroad and consumes yearly around 112
million sacks of green coffee, mostly Arabica and Robusta, divided
between Home consumption (70%), Bar and Ho.Re.Ca. consumption (around
25%) and Automatic Vending Machines (5%).
Consumption in Italy is
lower than the EU average and lower than the levels for the rest of the
world. The difference is due to the different characteristic of
consumption and to different eating habits: in the countries where the
per capita consumption is higher (Scandinavian countries with around 10
kilos per year) coffee is seen as a light drink to be consumed during
meals, whereas for Italians coffee has a strong flavour and
digestive-stimulating properties and is therefore consumed in small
doses.