Coffee: A Global History (Edible)

by Jonathan Morris

The Birth of Specialty In the United States, the four leading roasters’ market share rose from 46 per cent in 1958 to 69 per cent in 1978. By 2000, the ‘big three’ – Procter & Gamble, Kraft, and Sara Lee – controlled over 80 per cent of the retail market. They competed on price: blend contents were cheapened, and some brands advertised that lower quantities of their product could be used to deliver the same brew strength. These tactics failed to reverse the steady decline in U.S. coffee consumption per capita, which dropped from around 7.25 kilograms (16 lb) in 1960 to 2.7 kilograms (6 lb) by 1995, despite the success of the automatic Mr Coffee machine at converting Americans (especially men) to drip brewing in the 1970s. By contrast, consumption of caffeinated soft drinks boomed, for reasons as diverse as the spread of central heating, the rise of fast food outlets and the appeal of youthful advertising. Independent roasters saw their numbers fall from around 1,500 in 1945 to 162 in 1972. To survive they evolved an alternative business strategy. Rather than price, they would compete on quality, enabling them to increase profit margins on their beans. Their approach suited a consumer economy in which different social groups had started using their purchases to convey messages about their lifestyles, values and tastes. These might include demonstrating sophistication or wealth; adherence to ‘alternative’, anti-corporate values; or a preference for ‘authentic’ artisan goods.