Just half of people aged 18 to 35 drink traditional coffee and the product is suffering from an image problem, according to new research by Van Spronsen & Partners quoted by Nos television.

Not only does coffee have a ‘bitter aftertaste’ but it is associated with mass consumption, reinforced behaviour patterns and stressful situations such as meetings, job interviews and funerals, the research shows.
Youngsters in particular are keen on sweeter, more exiting tastes which don’t have that much to do with coffee, said researcher Christel Hendricks.
Sugar and flavourings
Douwe Egberts and chains such as Coffee Company and Starbucks are focusing on this trend with an increasing number of coffee variations based on flavourings, milk, ice cream and sugar. ‘This is how the big firms hope to attract youngsters to make the switch to coffee,’ she says.
In fact, coffee consumption is rising and has gone up by 6.5% to over three cups per person a day.
In addition, there is increasing pressure on suppliers to provide fair trade and organic coffee, Ton Rombout of trade magazine CoffeePro told the broadcaster.