According to market research firm Mintel, one in five Americans drink iced coffee, with young adults aged 18 to 24 the heaviest consumers (2). Mintel data also shows that iced coffee’s share of all coffee on menus at U.S. restaurants and coffee houses increased from 19 percent to 22 percent between 2009 and 2012. And in the first quarter of 2013, its share jumped to 24 percent, indicating that consumers’ interest in iced coffee goes well beyond summertime.
This trend has surely spread worldwide so make sure to have iced coffee beverages on your menu!
To meet consumers’ cold beverages demands, restaurants are brewing up a host of iced, caffeinated drinks ideal with meals, as snacks or as dessert beverages. Many operators are brewing traditional iced coffee and then adding flavoured syrup in seasonal varieties such as gingerbread and peppermint.
In addition, some are creating crave-able iced caffeinated cocktails, mixing everything from brandy and licorice liquor to tequila and rum with coffee or espresso, syrup and cream and then pouring it all over ice.
A few select operators are using Japanese brew towers and other slow brew systems to extract the most flavor from every bean in their iced coffee. Whatever the concoction, operators are finding iced coffee easy to make, highly profitable and servable winter, spring, summer or fall. So, go ahead.
Brew up a few cold ones and give your customers more reasons to chill at your place all year-round.
Find iced coffee recipes on the recipe part of our website.
