hot beverages

Worldwide Hot Beverage Growth Remains Positive

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Worldwide Hot Beverage Growth Remains PositiveEconomic malaise tends to affect every sector of the retail environment. When people have less money to spend, they buy fewer goods that are not absolute necessities. Fortunately for the hot beverage industry, people still consider things such as coffee and tea as daily necessities. Hot beverage growth around the world remains positive – even in geographic regions where other industries have stagnated.

Every year, Euromonitor International publishes a comprehensive report outlining how well the hot beverage industry is doing. Their 2015 report was very positive. Not only are hot beverages continuing to enjoy a modest growth year after year, but consumers are becoming even more specific in the kinds of coffee and tea drinks they are looking for.

Below is a snapshot of some of the most important data from the 2015 Euromonitor report:

  • Overall Growth – After peaking in 2010, the hot beverage industry has been attempting to recover from two-and-a-half years of lower volume and market value between 2011 and 2013. In 2015, overall growth rose 7% in off-trade value fueled primarily by hot tea. Also performing very well were malt-based hot drinks and certain coffees and teas that are deemed healthier.
  • Strongest Markets – The strongest market for growth in 2015 for both coffee and tea was China. Their astonishing 5% growth was completely unexpected. Rounding out the top five were Brazil, the U.S., India, and Germany.
  • Coffee Affordability – Data shows that coffee continues to do very well even in countries still suffering economically, primarily because it is so affordable. Brazil is a great example. Because Brazilian growers produce almost all of the coffee consumed in their country, growth continues even without hefty exports and a strong overall economy.
  • Total Consumption – The 2015 data suggests that top line volume consumption of hot beverages should remain stable or grow slightly through 2016. Between now and 2020, indicators suggest additional growth of at least 3%.

Maturing Consumer Preferences

While growth in the hot tea category is being driven mainly by consumers looking for healthier alternatives, growth in coffee is still being dictated by the pod concept. Worldwide, coffee pods grew by 13% in 2015 – mainly due to the American preference for single cup brewers. However, ‘third wave’ coffee is coming on strong.

Think of third wave coffee as the hot beverage equivalent of micro-brewed beer. Craft coffees are enjoying very robust growth in the U.S., the UK, and Japan particularly. These new kinds of coffees are addressing the consumer’s desire for better tasting coffee that can be enjoyed in the same way as a fine wine or gourmet chocolate.

Hot beverages continue to be popular around the world regardless of geographic region or economic status. That is a good thing for us, being that we proudly serve the greater New York area with the region’s finest hot and cold beverage service. We hope you will consider Galaxie Coffee as your beverage service provider. We would welcome the opportunity to serve you and your staff.

What’s New in the Hot Chocolate Industry?

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What’s New in the Hot Chocolate IndustrySo, you are the kind of person who would rather fill your morning mug with a good hot chocolate rather than coffee or tea. You have suffered for so many years as coffee has held the spotlight and tea has remained the drink of choice for the upper crust. Well, now you have reason to celebrate. There are two important trends now emerging in the hot chocolate industry that are increasing the stature of your beverage of choice.

For the record, hot chocolate is no longer a drink confined to cold winter days when the hot beverage is used to help take the chill out of one’s bones. It is now a socially acceptable hot beverage consumed 365 days a year in homes, offices, restaurants, and cafes.

Interested in knowing more? Here are the two hot chocolate trends we spoke of:

Single-Origin Hot Chocolate

Wine lovers have their special vintages while coffee lovers have their preferred blends. What do hot chocolate drinkers have? Until now, very little other than dry drink mixes to which water is added. But things are now different with the introduction of single-origin hot chocolate. This gourmet hot beverage is popping up at cafes and coffee houses all over the country.

Single-origin hot chocolate refers to a hot beverage made, on-site, directly from cocoa beans, husks, nibs, or pure chocolate. Simply put, it is a handmade drink derived from pure chocolate or various parts of the cocoa plant itself. It is not mixed with any sugars, emulsifiers, extra flavors, and so on.

Making the hot chocolate beverage this way allows experienced chocolatiers to produce an incredibly rich beverage that is unparalleled by anything you could find on a grocery store shelf. You really have to taste it to understand how different it is.

Increasing Consumer Demand

The second trend we want to address is that of increasing consumer demand. While we do not yet see unusual growth here in the U.S., hot chocolate has finally overtaken both coffee and tea in England. At least one prominent retail chain, Harrods, has experienced double-digit sales growth of hot chocolate products since the start of the year. Hot chocolate sales now outpace prepackaged coffee and tea.

Harrods officials say that hot chocolate has always been viewed in Britain as a luxury drink. But a heavy emphasis on the introduction of new flavors and better quality has led consumers to begin looking at hot chocolate in the same way they perceive tea and coffee: as a daily beverage that can be enjoyed by anyone.

It is plain to see that hot chocolate is becoming a more popular beverage among consumers both here and abroad. That’s just fine with us. Here at Galaxie Coffee, we are thrilled the be able to offer a full line of hot chocolate products alongside our coffees, teas, juices, and bottled waters. Do not forget to ask about our hot chocolate selections when you contact us for service to your office.

What New Products Are in the Works for Galaxie Coffee?

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What New Products Are in the Works for Galaxie Coffee?Galaxie Coffee is proud of our reputation of providing the New York area with the finest coffee and beverage service. However, the coffee business is highly competitive. That means we cannot rest on the successes of the past – we must continually strive to do better for our customers. That is exactly what we are doing with the introduction of our new bean-to-cup brewer. This revolutionary brew system is just one of the new products we are currently working on.

We will soon be offering the Eccelenza Touch multi-beverage machine for customers looking for a large selection of hot beverages in a single machine with little maintenance. These types of multi-beverage machines have been on the market for a while, but they have not been attractive options until recently. What makes this bean-to-cup machine so attractive is that it combines the convenience of single cup service with the higher quality and better taste profile of traditional brewing. We cannot wait to start introducing it to our customers.

Beverage Choices

The Eccelenza Touch utilizes two product dispensers to offer a variety of hot beverages at a single location. One dispenser handles coffee beans; the other is for drink powders. Both have a capacity of over 2 pounds. Your office will enjoy a tremendous volume of beverage service between refills. The large dispenser capacity also means less maintenance and upkeep. What’s more, the dispenser sizes can be adjusted to account for a greater volume of coffee beans or powder.

Beverage choices include:

  • standard coffee blends
  • cappuccinos
  • lattes
  • hot chocolate
  • flavored coffees
  • plain hot water (for tea or soups)

Other Features

We have been testing this machine ourselves to see what it offers. One of the first things we came to appreciate was the easy to use, digital touchscreen that makes choosing your beverage simple and straightforward. Choose your beverage, your cup size, and your preferred strength, then press the start button and watch your cup fill.

The person in your office designated to handle the coffee area will be pleased with the easy setup and cleaning of the Eccelenza Touch. Intelligent, on-board diagnostics quickly let you know if something is wrong while an integrated dashboard can keep track of beverage consumption as you go. You will always know how much coffee to order because the machine will tell you how much has been used since your last delivery.

Galaxie Coffee is always looking for ways we can provide better service to our customers. We believe the Eccelenza Touch bean-to-cup machine is on the verge of becoming the next hot item in office coffee service. It is an energy-saving machine that maximizes convenience without sacrificing a good, quality cup of coffee. Moreover, it offers so much more because it gives staff multiple beverage choices in one station.

Keep your eyes open for this new machine. We will be sure to let you know when it becomes available.

What Makes Galaxie Coffee Unique and Special?

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What Makes Galaxie Coffee Unique and Special?When father and son team Leonard and Neil Robbins first opened Galaxie Coffee, their primary goal was to provide offices in the New York area with exceptional office coffee service capable of providing great tasting hot beverages at competitive prices. It was enough for the team to provide the quality service their customers were rightfully expecting while also reaching out to new customers.

Since those early years, Galaxie Coffee has grown to become one of the most recognized names in coffee service in the New York metropolitan area. We cover the entire New York region, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties, and many areas of New Jersey and Southern Connecticut.

So, what makes Galaxie Coffee so unique and special? Our extensive product list and customer commitment.

Our Products

Galaxie Coffee is unique in that we offer the largest selection of products within our service area. What began as a small outfit offering drip coffee makers with regular and decaf options has grown to become an enterprise with a beverage selection vast enough to satisfy every need. Our hot beverages include regular and decaf coffee, flavored coffees, cappuccinos and lattes, hot chocolate, tea, and numerous other delicious choices.

On the cold beverage side, our selection is even greater. From Snapple tea to soda to energy drinks, one call to Galaxie can fill your break room cooler with all of the cold drinks you want and need. Alongside those cold drinks is a full selection of condiments and specialty waters. But we’re still not done.

A few years back, Galaxie expanded into break room supplies. It seemed the next logical step in our business growth. Then, in 2008, we acquired All Island Janitorial Supply, giving us the opportunity to offer our customers an even larger selection of break room and janitorial supplies. We now carry just about anything you could need including green cleaning supplies and cleaning equipment. No one in the New York area offers as large a product list combined with single-order delivery and invoicing.

Customer Commitment

We believe our commitment to customers is second to none. We also believe it is that which makes us special. In this fast-paced world, it can be difficult to find a service-based company that still puts the customer first. Nevertheless, that is what we have always done at Galaxie; it is what we will continue doing as long as we are active in New York.

Our commitment to customer service extends to everything we do. From taking your telephone calls to installing and repairing equipment to making your weekly deliveries, our goal is that you be satisfied with both the service and products. Any dissatisfaction on your part means we are not doing our jobs. Please let us know so that we can have an opportunity to make things right.

Galaxie Coffee wants to extend our thanks and appreciation to all of our loyal customers. If you are not yet a Galaxie customer, we hope you will give us the opportunity to earn your business.

Coffee Industry 2015: Major Players and Emerging Competitors

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Coffee Industry 2015 - Major Players and Emerging CompetitorsIf there is one thing we know about the coffee industry, it is the fact that it is highly competitive. Coffee is the world’s number one hot beverage, with a seemingly endless list of varieties being grown all over the world. So, who are the major players in the industry for 2015? Who are the up-and-coming competitors who will fight tooth and nail for their share of the market? We have put together a selection of both producers and coffee companies under both categories. We expect to see a pretty heated battle for market dominance through the end of 2015.

Coffee Producers

The top three coffee producing countries in the world since the start of the 21st century have consistently been Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia. That is not expected to change for 2015, but all three will probably produce and export less product this year than in previous years. Brazil, for example, has been going through a pretty significant drought over the last 12 months. This year’s crop does not look nearly as robust as previous years.

In Honduras, things are considerably different. Production and export within the Central American country was up 4.2% in January alone, continuing a steady climb that producers in the country have enjoyed since 2009. Other coffee producing countries to watch in 2015 include Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Cameroon. Robusta and Arabica exports look especially promising out of Cameroon.

Coffee Companies

Back here in the U.S., we are more concerned about the companies processing and roasting coffee than the countries producing it. After all, what we buy comes from the roasters.

At the top of the list of major players are Starbucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Folgers (owned by J.M. Smucker). Not only are Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts dominant in the retail coffee house sector, they also compete with Folgers by producing their own blends that consumers can purchase for use in their home coffee machines. Coffee service companies are even beginning to offer Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts products to their customers.

In the emerging arena, we think one of the players to keep an eye on is a company named Community Coffee. They are not new by any stretch, having been established in the early 1900s, but they are getting a lot of media attention these days. You may have even seen some of their commercials popping up on your local television station.

Others to watch include Temple Coffee Roasters, Klatch Coffee, Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea and the UK’s answer to Starbucks – Costa Coffee. Costa Coffee is the UK’s largest coffeehouse chain and a premium roaster. They are just now making inroads into the American market.

The competition is heating up as coffee is taking hold among a younger and more particular audience. At Galaxie Coffee, we will continue striving to meet the needs of all of our customers regardless of their tastes and preferences. We are proud to offer the New York area a wide selection of hot and cold beverages for office consumption.

How Do Coffee Preferences Differ among Age Groups?

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How Do Coffee Preferences Differ among Age Groups?Coffee clearly outpaces tea as the hot beverage of choice in the United States by about 3 to 1. In fact, coffee is so common in this country that it is generally assumed one drinks it unless otherwise stated. We drink coffee just about anywhere we can find it. And of course, don’t forget the coffeehouse culture that was birthed a few decades back. Coffee is all around us.

We thought it would be interesting to look at coffee preferences by age group, just to see if there were any drastic differences worthy of noting. What we found was not too surprising given the state of the coffee industry in 2015. The numbers we are about to share with you come from a white paper commissioned by a nationally known coffee and tea wholesaler, S&D Coffee and Tea.

Beginning the Coffee Habit

Consuming coffee in the United States has long been associated with maturity and adulthood. Because of the caffeine, we do not tend to give coffee to younger children. So having that first cup as a teenager is a sign that one is entering adulthood. The numbers from the S&D white paper bear that out.

According to their research, 87% of all American coffee drinkers begin consuming coffee prior to age 21. Among younger Millennials, most started drinking coffee at age 15; the average age among older Millennials is 17. Somewhat surprising is Generation X. The average age to begin drinking coffee among this group is 19.

What is not surprising about the statistics is that most people began drinking coffee in their mid-to-late teens. This lines up perfectly with the common assumption that coffee drinking is associated with adulthood. Now let us look a little deeper at the preferences of different age groups.

What They Drink

Older coffee drinkers (age 35 to 44 among the study group) preferred regular, brewed coffee at a rate of about 65%. The remaining 35% enjoyed alternative coffee drinks such as cappuccinos, lattes, iced coffees, etc. We assume the preferences above age 44 lead much more heavily toward brewed coffee. However, that is not so with younger people.

Research shows that among 25 to 34-year-olds, just under 60% prefer brewed coffee to alternative coffee drinks. Younger people between the ages of 18 and 24 prefer alternative coffee drinks to brewed coffee at a rate of about 55%. Younger coffee drinkers are the primary supporters of the coffeehouse culture.

Perhaps the most surprising statistic of the S&D white paper is this: 47% of all Millennials report drinking more brewed coffee as they get older. The research indicates that coffee drinking habits ‘mature’ with age, with consumers drinking fewer alternative drinks in favor of more traditional coffee.

What do you prefer? Whether you drink brewed coffee or alternative coffee drinks, Galaxy has what you are looking for in an office beverage service. We are proud to provide the greater New York area with coffee, tea, and a long list of additional beverages.