September 2018 Digital Issue

POURING FOR PROFITS
BEVERAGE EVENTS A
proliferation of alternative
brewing methods have come
to light
complex and layered flavours
being a key area of interest.
According to Restaurants
Canada’s Foodservice Facts 2018,
traditional brewed hot coffee was
the most ordered beverage in
Canada in 2017 (excluding tap
water) — making up 37.1 per
cent of all beverage orders. In
fact, three of the top-five beverages
on the report’s “2017 Top
Beverages” list were coffee-based
drinks, with hot specialty coffee
and iced/frozen coffee making up
8.2 per cent and 5.3 per cent of
beverage orders, respectively.
Although regular drip coffee
remains significantly more
popular than specialty beverages,
interest in diverse beverage occasions
is driving a wide range of
specialty offerings.
“Millennials suffer from a
wonderful affliction called flavour
distortion and what they like
[now] is not what they want at
lunchtime, is not what they want
at dinner and is certainly not
what they want for tomorrow,”
Gray adds.
This is an important factor
in the growth of iced beverages.
“[We’re] seeing more emphasis
on iced-espresso drinks, iced
pour-overs and iced flash-brewed
drinks,” says Graham Hayes,
account manager, Toronto and
head technician at De Mello
Palheta Coffee Roasters — a
Toronto based café and roaster
that boasts more than 100 wholesale
clients.
Hayes also notes that desire for
variety and increased education
levels surrounding coffee have
been key drivers behind specialty
roasts — including single-origin
and small-lot coffees.
“People are demanding better
roasted coffee,” agrees Jeremy
Ho, co-founder of Calgarybased
Monogram Coffee. “For
far too long, the industry didn’t
give credit to people’s palates…
They’ve developed a better
knowledge of what kind of good
quality is out there and they’re
demanding that from cafés.”
More than a Pick Me Up
In foodservice, as well as many
other industries, there has been
increasing focus on offering
customers not just products but
experiences. The coffee-and-tea
segment is no exception — as
seen in the proliferation of
alternative brewing methods, as
well as unique blends and smalllot
offerings.
“It’s all about the experience…
what we’re seeing, especially in
the millennial category, is they
want an experience and they’ll
pay for it — so don’t be afraid
to work that in your favour,”
says Gray.
Starbucks is a prime example
of a player that has embraced the
experiential element of coffee —
evident in the continued expansion
of its Starbucks Reserve
Bar concept. The company also
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