Organic Coffee Market

Market Overview

The global organic coffee market size was valued at USD 9.2 billion in 2022. It is estimated to reach USD 18.3 billion by 2031, growing at a CAGR of 8.0% during the forecast period (2023–2031).

Organic coffee is coffee that has been grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, or other artificial chemicals. Organic coffee is commonly considered to be of greater quality than traditionally grown coffee. This is owing to the notion that organic farming practices are more eco-friendly than conventional farming practices. Chicken manure, coffee pulp, bocachi, and general compost are all examples of organic fertilizers. This improves production efficiency and produces high-quality organic coffee. Organic coffee is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, which assist in neutralizing damaging free radicals in the human body and avoiding extensive cellular damage. In addition, it prevents numerous malignancies and neurological illnesses, stimulates weight loss, strengthens the immune system, and reduces cholesterol levels.

Highlights

• Arabica dominates the type segment
• Stand-Up pouches dominate the packaging type segment
• Hypermarket/supermarket dominates the sales channel segment
• North America is the highest shareholder in the global market

Market Dynamics

Global Organic Coffee Market Drivers:

Health Benefits of Coffee

Due to its popularity worldwide, coffee is one of the most traded commodities on the global market, right behind gasoline. In more than 50 different countries, more than 25 million farmers are involved in the production of coffee. Many health advantages of organic coffee are what drive the demand for it. For instance, it has high polyphenol antioxidants such as flavonoids and catechins. They prevent widespread cellular degeneration by stabilizing dangerous free radicals prevalent in the human body.

Furthermore, studies have shown that drinking coffee helps people lose weight, lowers cholesterol, increases immunity, and protects against neurological illnesses. Moreover, customers also regard cold coffee, café latte, and cappuccino, among other coffee-related goods, as refreshing beverages. Also, the upward trend in coffee drinking outside the home portends an increase in coffee consumption in the years to come. As a result, this rise is anticipated to fuel the global demand for organic coffee.

Shifting Trend toward Environmentally Friendly and Sustainable Farming Practices

Organic coffee is widely accepted as an environmentally friendly product. Organic farming minimizes using synthetic and artificial additives added to the soil. Compost mulch and natural fertilizers are used for organic farming instead of artificial fertilizers. Moreover, conventional methods used for farming have been replaced by new and advanced eco-friendly techniques. This improves production efficiency and produces high-quality organic coffee. In addition, advanced farming technologies minimize production time and human resources. For instance, Bio-char based organic soil amendment technology (BIOSAT), a bio-char additive and various organic nutrients, improves soil fertility, maintains soil strength, increases crop production, and minimizes dependency on artificial fertilizers. Hence, enhanced eco-friendly farming techniques drive the growth of the global organic coffee market.

Global Organic Coffee Market Restraint:

High Cost of Organic Coffee

Engaged industry stakeholders need to care extra about producing and processing organic coffee. The additional cost is invested in meeting the pre-defined standards for the packaging of food and beverages. As a result, organic coffee prices are much higher than their counterparts, making them expensive for consumers. In addition, consumers residing in developing countries consider organic coffee a premium product. Consumers in such countries are highly price-sensitive, and significantly the population belongs to the middle class with moderate purchasing power. Therefore, such consumers hesitate to buy premium products. As a result, high prices of organic coffee limit the target audience leading to the decline of the market growth.

Global Organic Coffee Market Opportunities:

New Growth Avenues provided by Digital Marketing

Global awareness of organic food and beverages is growing due to increased social media promotion. In addition, people's understanding of their health is growing daily. Media like the internet, TV, and newspapers also aid in learning about the benefits of organic foods, including coffee. For instance, an analysis by Straits Research found that in 2015, social media was used regularly by more than 70% of Americans. Social media is where a growing number of active users learn about organic coffee and are more likely to try it. Organic coffee has advantages, including fewer negative effects, because it is produced without the use of chemicals or pesticides. Hence, more social media knowledge and fewer adverse coffee effects create a new opportunity for the involved industry stakeholders to market, promote, and increase their presence.

Regional Analysis

North America Dominates the Global Market

Based on region, the global organic coffee market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.

North America is the most significant shareholder in the global organic coffee market and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 7.0% during the forecast period. The North American organic coffee market comprises the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. In North America, the U.S. is the highest contributor to the growth of organic coffee. Most of the U.S. population consumes coffee, and over the years, the per capita consumption of organic coffee has been on the rise, owing to an increase in preference for healthy beverages and the hectic lifestyle of people. Moreover, people residing in Canada and Mexico are inclined to the Arabica coffee segment, owing to its health benefits. Multiple health advantages of organic coffee are also expected to augment market expansion in the region.

Europe is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 8.1% over the forecast period. Europe operates as a single market and is a significant trading power. The European countries accounted for the second-largest share of global imports and exports in 2016. In terms of growth rate, there has been a decline in the overall economy of Europe post the 2008 recession. Despite Brexit, the European market presents attractive opportunities for the beverages sector. European consumers prefer high-value specialty coffee that offers a unique experience as they know coffee varieties. In addition, an increase in health awareness in the young population boosts the adoption of organic coffee, which drives market growth. This further offers opportunities for coffee bean suppliers to provide unique blends, flavors, and ready-to-drink organic coffee in the region.

The market for coffee beans in Asia-Pacific has grown significantly over the years, owing to an increase in its consumption. Japan, China, India, and the Philippines are the major contributors to the growth of this region. The high penetration rate of organic beans in Asia-Pacific expanded the product range by established manufacturers, and population growth drives the coffee beans market. In addition, key regional players are actively investing in advertising campaigns and marketing to enhance their brand recognition and influence the market, which is projected to provide potential opportunities for market expansion.

Furthermore, the economic outlook for Asia-Pacific remains strong. The growth in China is projected to ease to 6.6%, partly reflecting the authorities' financial, housing, and fiscal tightening measures. Also, Japan's growth has exceeded its potential for eight straight quarters, and a 1.2% growth was predicted for 2020. Demographics, reduction of productivity, and the rise of the digital economy impact the long-term development of the Asia-Pacific organic coffee market.

The LAMEA organic coffee market includes Latin America and the Middle East and Africa region. Some major countries in the LAMEA region include Brazil, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and South Africa. The factors driving market growth include better economic management, improved global economic conditions, recovery in commodity prices, and improved agriculture production. LAMEA is one of the emerging regions of coffee consumption, as Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey offer potential opportunities for coffee beans growth. New product offerings and flavor differentiation are the key strategies adopted by manufacturers to increase their market share. Furthermore, manufacturers have introduced promotional pricing strategies to increase their sales. Moreover, introducing attractive packages and new flavors combined with campaigns through social events and networks fuel the expansion of the market in the region.

Segmental Analysis

The global organic coffee market is segmented by type, packaging type, and sales channel.

Based on type, the global organic coffee market is bifurcated into Arabica and Robusta. 

The Arabica segment owns the highest market share and is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.7% over the forecast period. Coffee Arabica is widely accepted across the globe. These beans originate from Arabica species and are rich in minerals. It has better-known subtypes: Moka, Mara-gogipe, San Ramon, Colomnaris, and Bourbon. Arabica has a sharp taste with shallow caffeine content. It also consists of various cultivars that are different in origin, climatic requirements, tree size, yield pattern, quality of product, and berry size. These beans have a wide range of greenish-blue shades and are slightly elongated. Therefore, its unique taste and texture have been considered one of the influential factors driving the growth in value sales.

Robusta coffee tree increases to more than 12 meters in height and proliferates in altitudes up to 700 meters. These beans are widely grown in Vietnam and are more pest and disease resistant. The Robusta segment is anticipated to grow fastest due to its higher caffeine content and strong properties as it blends. Robusta beans are frequently added to ground coffee blends, espresso, and instant coffee. Robusta coffee also has high resistance to weather and low production cost compared to Arabica. In addition, Robusta has higher shelf life compared to Arabica. Therefore, the product's higher shelf life, coupled with large-scale application in the food industry, help drive the demand for Robusta in the global market.

Based on packaging type, the global organic coffee market is divided into stand-up pouches, jars and bottles, and others. 

The stand-up pouches segment is responsible for the largest market share and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 7.7% over the forecast period. Plastic pouches have relatively lower costs and exhibit excellent barrier properties against moisture and other factors, which contribute to extending the shelf life of food products. They can be sealed using heat to prevent the contents from oozing out. Stand-up pouches reduce transportation costs and consume less space for storage and distribution. Pouches are produced using plastic materials, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene (PE). In addition, the thin film of metals, such as aluminum, is used as a shielding layer to provide high barrier properties and prevent food from microbial contamination. Stand-up pouches and retort pouched are popular for organic coffee packaging. Hence, the product's flexibility and durability help drive the demand for stand-up pouches.

Jars and bottles are a form of rigid packaging that plays an essential role in organic coffee's packaging and preservation process. These types of packaging have gained traction among consumers due to their high shelf stability and convenience. The growth of rigid packaging such as jars, cans, and bottles for coffee is driven by the impermeable and nonporous nature of packaging. As a result, there are no interactions between rigid packaging and coffee to affect its flavors. Moreover, packaging in a jar is very convenient and imparts premium aesthetics, which further adds to the attractiveness of such packaging type. Hence, some of the aesthetic features offered by the product that caters to target customers' requirement help drive the demand for jars and bottles.

Based on sales channels, the global organic coffee market is segmented into hypermarkets/supermarkets, departmental and convenience stores, specialty stores, online sales channels, and others. 

The hypermarket/supermarket segment owns the highest market share and is estimated to exhibit a CAGR of 6.7% during the forecast period. Large retail outlets such as hypermarkets/supermarkets offer various products. Supermarkets are large, self-serve grocery stores with a wide selection of food and home goods. They are larger than traditional grocery stores but smaller and have a lower section of goods than hypermarkets or big-box markets. On the other hand, hypermarkets are retail stores offering a wide range of products, from food items and groceries to merchandise under one roof. Therefore, have a higher assortment of products than supermarkets. The growth of the supermarkets/hypermarkets segment in the organic coffee market is attributed to adopting this distribution channel in both mature and emerging markets.

Specialty stores are small retail outlets that sell a particular product range and associated items. Most specialty store business operators maintain considerable depth in the type of product they specialize in selling, usually at premium prices, in addition to providing higher service quality and expert guidance to shoppers. Manufacturers continuously try to increase the shelf visibility of their products, so they mainly target specialty stores. As a result, a wider variety of organic coffee products are available in specialty stores. Specialty stores also have niche organic coffee products in their product offerings.

Recent Developments

• September 2022- McCafé intends to capture a share of Canada's coffee-at-home market by releasing their newly High Grown Organic Dark Roast Coffee. The packaged coffee is available in various brewing styles, including single-serve, whole-bean and ground, and K-Cup pods, and is launching as a retail exclusive in Canada.

• March 2023- Chameleon Organic Coffee®, pioneers of conscientiously crafted bottled cold-brew coffee, introduced Organic Espresso Martini Mixer, a 100% organic non-alcoholic martini mixer infused with cold-brew coffee to enrich the Espresso Martini experience.