Top Transformational Coffee Trends to Look Out for in 2021

Top Transformational  Coffee Trends to Look Out for in 2021

In a fast and furious world, we all need to stay awake, work hard and smart, and meet the ever-changing trends. And we often achieve all of these, thanks to caffeine, our faithful friend. However, although coffee has been with humanity for ages, we’ve already achieved a whole lot with these magical beans.  To explore new ideas for the coffee industry, we have to backtrack to the past and, from there, think up innovative ways to serve and enjoy coffee.

About Coffee Plants

Coffee plants

Coffee is from the plant class Coffea and has two very important species: robusta and arabica. Throughout history, people have celebrated the wonderful mystery of coffee plants. Moreover, beans for coffee have found use in almost every culture, making coffee plants important to both the food and the economic sectors.

The coffee plant is a tree that has green and waxy leaves growing liberally across its branches, with fruits in the form of berries that give off a sweet and inviting aroma. Like flora royalty, coffee is very selective in its growing environment. For this reason, all the world’s coffee grows in the Bean Belt within the Equatorial Zone.

Although there are at least 25 species of coffee plants in the commercial industry, arabica and robusta are the most common. These two variants have unique properties that make them darlings in the commercial coffee world. Not only do coffee beans from these two have the sweetest aroma, but they also have a stand-alone taste.

Everyone easily recognizes coffee roasted, but not everyone knows its primary nature before processing. Coffee beans are mostly pink pulpy fruits before processing, and when unripe, they appear greenish. A coffee plant requires very fertile ground and sparse water to grow excellently. Thus, coffee processing starts a long while before maturity.

The coffee farmer must ensure that the coffee has all requirements for steady and uninterrupted growth from the nursery to its final soil home. Coffee plants can live up to 100 years, but the production peak is at 7-20 years. It is interesting to note that, on average, a coffee plant produces 10 pounds of coffee each year after its maturity at 5 years.

Coffee Origin and History

history of coffee

Coffee beans are enormous in demand worldwide, and most people who enjoy the benefits of consumption of coffee hardly bother to wonder how coffee came about and who first discovered its secrets. But in every ancient country where coffee has existed for a long time, there’s a unique story of how they came upon coffee. And so, the history of coffee is just as mysterious as the beans themselves.

However, the most popular of these coffee background stories have to be Kaldi and His Goats in Abyssinia (in present Ethiopia) in 700AD. Kaldi discovered that his goats tended to exhibit abnormal excitation when they fed on specific glossy leaves. Therefore, he decided to explore these leaves and berries that caused his goats to dance after eating.

From this point, the story goes two ways. The first is that Kaldi shared his findings with a monk, who was excited to have something that could keep him up at night and help him meditate deeply. Another version of the story says that the monk was not happy with the discovery and threw the berries into a fire. This act gave rise to roasted coffee and all the tempting and savory aromas that accompany it. And thus, humanity was blissfully introduced to the beautiful world of coffee.

While there might not be any proof to buttress the story, there’s an undeniable fact that coffee truly originated from Ethiopia. This part of the history of coffee is beyond the myth. From its Ethiopian source, coffee has spread to the rest of the world, delighting us with its aroma and keeping us active all through the day.

The first to ever write about coffee was Razi, a Persian physician, who classified coffee as a drug. This gained recognition in other parts. Some other writings were also found in Yemen and other countries. In Yemen, they didn’t own indigenous coffee but imported the coffee plant from Ethiopia to make a liquid from the leaves that kept them awake at night.

Coffee has gone through a wide range of historical points, from being generally accepted in most states as God’s gift to humanity to being banned in some countries because of its stimulatory effect. Yet, coffee remains the favorite drink for many countries that love its stimulating effects.

Why Coffee?

schools of the wise-roasted coffee

Coffee, after discovery, soon became the beverage of choice in many households. As it traveled from place to place across several countries, many people adapted expertise in preparing coffee beans. This made coffee not only a household beverage but also a social call as coffee houses began springing up in both cities and villages. Many people have made essential business decisions over cups of coffee, with conversations supported by dancing, board games, and other forms of entertainment.

People came to know these coffee houses as “schools of the wise.” If you wanted to know what was happening in your city, in the social or business world, you could always find answers in those coffee houses. Hence, coffee established a vital link between social and business life.

The name coffee originates from several cultures and languages. In Yemen: the first place of its naming, coffee had the name qahwah, a romantic name for sweet wine. Later, it got the Turkish name kahveh, then Dutch koffie, and finally English coffee.

Roasted coffee originated from Arabia and was popular in the 13th century. During this period, the faithful Muslims used coffee roasted for stimulation after long periods of waiting. And they perfected this art so much that people learned this art of roasting coffee from them when they traveled to other areas.

Interesting Coffee Myths You Probably Never Knew Were False

coffee myths

Like many other food and drug items available for human consumption, coffee also has myths that surround its use. You’ve probably heard some of these and might be quite surprised to find out that they’re entirely not true. 

  • Coffee breeds acute dependency: While it’s true that coffee stimulates the nervous system and causes some sort of short-term dependency, it’s not a gateway drug like opioids—besides, the effects of coffee drinks are not as adverse as some people erroneously believe. 
  • Growth impediment: Many have heard and believed that coffee actually stunts growth. This myth has been passed down from generation to generation. Surprisingly, there’s no scientific proof of this, and so, this myth is untrue.
  • The more burned coffee you have, the more caffeine you get: The opposite is actually true for this. The truth is, roasted coffee decreases the amount of caffeine in the coffee blend and leaves you with only an acidic, roasted coffee taste.
  • All cups of coffee contain the same amounts of caffeine: Every company or coffee maker makes coffee differently, and because of the uniqueness in these coffee making arts, all coffee isn’t just coffee. Every coffee cup that you take has its own insignia and tells a story of its own. The amounts of caffeine in each coffee brew are largely dependent on several factors, such as the type of coffee beans, the level of roasting of the coffee, and each coffee maker’s unique method.
  • Coffee weans you off the effects of alcohol: This myth is the most interesting of all. Though coffee serves for alertness, people that are still under the influence feel only alert enough to take decisions like driving and cause more problems for themselves.

Coffee Beans: Beyond Taste

coffee beans-beyond taste

Coffee beans are not just popular for their taste or inviting aroma, they also offer several scientifically-proven benefits. Some coffee benefits include: 

  • Enhances physical performance: When you brew a coffee cup, you have a ready energy booster. With a cup of coffee before work or exercise, your performance increases by 11-12%. Coffee contains caffeine as its active ingredient, and caffeine gives you an adrenaline rush to an individual, giving them the alertness they need to fend off weariness.
  • Burns fat: Coffee aids the body’s metabolism and causes the body to burn excess fat. Coffee also has magnesium and potassium among its constituents. These aid weight loss by helping the body burn off calories and sugars that usually accumulate in fat cells. They achieve this through a mechanism by which they use up insulin, causing a decrease in cravings for sweets and sugars.
  • Decreases the risk of cancer: Coffee reduces the risk of prostate cancer by 20% in males that drink coffee brews and endometrial cancer by 25% in women. Coffee always helps to reduce the risk of the most common skin carcinoma.
  • Decreases the risk of brain damage: A cup of coffee per day lowers one’s chances of coming down with brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and dementia.
  • Coffee uplifts moods: Coffee contains caffeine, which is an active brain stimulant. Caffeine stimulates serotonin production and other neurotransmitters that keep the brain in a constant state of brightness and lowers suicide risks

Coffee Bean Preparations

coffee bean preparation

There are a thousand and one ways of preparing coffee for consumption. Like any other art, coffee preparation depends on the creativity of the coffee maker, either for office coffee services or home consumption of coffee. Technology has made it very easy for many by providing a coffee machine for offices and a coffee vending machine in hospital waiting rooms and other business places.

However, some still prefer to brew their own coffee rather than to use commercial coffee machines

There are many exciting coffee preparation styles that one can easily do using a single-serve coffeemaker or a commercial coffee machine. They each have unique properties in taste, aroma, and appearance. This variety causes every coffee lover to always have diverse options to fit their coffee moods each day. These preparations include: 

  • Pour-over: For this coffee preparation method, you only need a great coffee grinder, a filter paper, and your mug. This applies to those that like a strong coffee brew. You just need to scoop the right amount of coffee into the filter paper that you place over the mug, pour the hot water onto the ground coffee and allow it to drain.
  • Commercial coffee machines: For office coffee services or at cafes, you cannot rely on hand brews because of the high traffic of people that require the coffee. Therefore there are various commercial coffee machines and coffee vending machines. However, technological advances ensure that this isn’t boring for coffee lovers. Consequently, they manufactured different commercial coffee machines, including Espresso, Cappuccino, and Moka, to bring fun to coffee drinking even outside the home.

office coffee service trends


Coffee is the number one beverage in most parts of the world, and
office coffee services and commercial coffee vending must keep evolving to keep up with global tastes. Some new trends in the coffee world include:

  • Creating a variety of coffee: We often become bored when there is a repetitive offer of anything daily. Therefore, the coffee industry requires a combination that keeps coffee lovers in love with coffee brews. Now, we have coffee in varying flavors, and some, like the cola coffee, is so bold and daring that they take their unsuspecting consumers by surprise.
  • Coffee and health: Some cafe and coffee shop owners include healthy trends in their coffee menus. These additions to the menu include maca lattes, mushroom coffee, and coffee containing collagen creamers. As the number one beverage, coffee goes beyond just giving an energy boost for the day. It also covers immunity development, speeds up metabolism, and addresses gut health.
  • Coffee tourism: Everyone is looking for something new – a deviation from their routines to add a burst of energy to their everyday lives. Thus, coffee shop owners design their cafes in appealing ways that draw consumers to more than just the coffee.
  • Fairtrade in the coffee business: Most commercial coffee business owners have looked forward to having fair treatment in pay and coffee sales. This policy guarantees that the farmers and business owners in the coffee world get the right ethical treatment and provide only the best coffee in keeping with fair trade standards. This promotes the coffee quality in the market.

Coffee Trends in 2021

 

coffee trends 2021

Consumers are constantly seeking improvements in almost anything they buy, especially when it comes to their food and beverage choices. We’re a generation that seeks quality, even in leisure and recreation. Therefore, even in our coffee tastes and choices, we want innovations that keep us on our toes for coffee time. 

In 2021, the coffee trends are sure to include:

  • Sustainability: In recent times, a major attribute that coffee drinkers look forward to is the sustainability of their coffee. Some of the beneficial sustainability coffee trends include recyclable cups, reusable straws, and swappable cup programs like the Huskee Swap.
  • The real deal: In a world that is tending towards perfection, many natural materials now have synthetic substitutes. In the coffee world, coffee drinkers prefer the real deal, its aroma, and taste. While there are many flavors and innovations, coffee service must maintain originality. This is one trending goal for both sellers and consumers in 2021.
  • Ready-to-drink coffee: In a fast-paced world where virtually everyone desires instant satisfaction with excellent coffee services, ready-to-drink coffee is sure to continue to be a popular concept in 2021.
  • Cashless Payments: With COVID-19, social distancing disallows cash transactions, and this caused the world trend to shift to cashless payments

The Rise of Cashless Coffee Vending Machines

cashless coffee vending machine

To curb the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, social circles and other sectors have adjusted to make room for new rules such as social distancing. In the coffee world, consumers mostly got their coffee over the counter in cafes and office coffee booths. However, trends had to change to accommodate new rules, giving rise to cashless coffee vending machines.

With cashless vending machines, there’s so much ease for everyone involved in coffee transactions including offices which can get their coffee vending machines customized to their taste. While some may prefer card transactions for payment, a more seamless and better option is the Nayax cashless solution for coffee vending machines. Consumers can prevent any contact, thus ensuring maximum safety. 

In addition, cashless vending machines have communication protocols that need to be adhered to. The most common protocol used for coffee machines is the CCI (Coffee Credit Interface) protocol supported by almost all noted manufacturers of coffee machines in the beverage and office segment. This lets operators of OCS businesses communicate with payment devices, enabling consumers to easily purchase coffee. Nayax supports the CCI communication protocol, version 3.5 for the OCS (Office Coffee Services) industry. Other payment solutions not supporting CCI would require the use of an expensive MDB converter, in addition to the payment solution itself. 

There are also low-cost cashless vending machines that are perfect for an office,  coffee booth, shop, or café. The only supervision they require is to check when the coffee supply is short and there’s a need for a refill.

Cashless coffee vending machines have made life very easy for everyone, especially in the busy office setting. They provide fast, prepaid office coffee services, eliminating traffic, and  helping workers to be more efficient and productive in the office.

Cashless payments are a great relief to coffee service providers because they do not have to move along with cash loads. Also, customers don’t have to carry cash when they can use their debit cards and online wallets for transactions. That makes life easier and better for everyone.

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Where’s the Coffee Need?

cashless coffee need

While places like the Netherlands and Nordic countries like Sweden, Finland and Norway top the charts of the top coffee drinkers, the need for coffee is felt globally. However, one place that gets attention when it comes to stress is the office place. Many workers are emotionally and psychologically stressed after rounds of demanding work. Thus a cup of coffee or two per day can boost their energy and keep them alert throughout the day. 

Unfortunately, the challenge comes when offices run out of coffee supply. Often, coffee can get cold, leaving consumers with unpleasant tasting coffee which may not be suitable for cold weather, especially during the winter.

With the coffee vending machines in workplaces, workers have unlimited access to coffee and they can rest assured that they will get it hot regardless of the time of the day.

New trends bring these discomforts to an end by abridging excellent office coffee services with new tech, bringing immense pleasure and satisfaction to office workers that love coffee. Some of these innovations include:

  • Technological innovations: In most offices, employees waste productive time trying to prepare or get coffee. New coffee brewing systems override these trends and increase output and overall efficiency.
  • Coffee service distribution: No one coffee service supplier can manage a whole block. New policies are rising that ensure proper distribution of coffee services to meet the coffee demands of employees.
  • Coffee brand selection: The right brands of coffee beans promote the consumption of coffee in the office. Keeping the workers upbeat with light and nice coffee flavors improve the office mood and increase productivity.

A Whole New Deal

coffee vending machines- cashless

Over time, we’ve gone through a series of changes that have increasingly made our lives easier and better. Right now, our world is tending towards unattended coffee. Like every other vending machine, coffee vending machines have smart processors that charge the consumer the exact payment for the coffee they get. 

However, their uniqueness lies in the ability to allow customers to customize the content of their coffees. Consumers have the luxury of choosing the amount of sugar and milk that go into their coffee depending on their taste. Coffee vending machine processors are also programmed to dispense hot or cold water based on what the consumer desires.

With the COVID-19 social distancing rules limiting one-on-one interactions between consumers and retailers, there’s a need for a more effective way to enjoy coffee. Thus, adopting the touchless vending machines and unattended coffee machines will allow people to enjoy the taste of good coffee brews without any fears of contracting diseases.

The unattended coffee service sometimes comes with dual-purpose touchless machines that keep things neat and sweet in the break room. This is considered a top-notch office coffee service among consumers. Through the machine, customers can have seamless access to coffee, enjoy the special blends and variations of their choices while maintaining social distancing.

Unattended services are the new normal in business settings, and office coffee is no exception. Unattended coffee service machines also often come with other advantages, like providing side snacks and additions using the same cashless payment method.

Cashless and touchless coffee service trends give the world a new outlook on coffee and allow for innovations and improvement in office coffee services and coffee beans’ retail. Generally, this increases productivity and sales. The coffee world is ever-improving, and this alone causes rippling excitement for coffee lovers. 

Market Ideas for Office Coffee

 

office coffee service

Servicing a group of office workers daily is not an easy task. As an office coffee service, you must evolve and give your customers innovations to keep them interested in your coffee. Marketing ideas for office coffee are broad but seamlessly implemented. Here are a few: 

  • Introduce coffee price subsidization on particular weekdays. These days, you can introduce innovative and experimental coffee samples that you will love your customers to try and send in feedback.
  • Organize coffee hangouts and parties where the coffee drinkers can unwind after a hectic day’s work. It’s easier to win over an observer by giving them samples of your coffee than trying to win them over using a careful and well-worded speech.
  • Create coffee promotions and bulk take-outs for afternoon lunch breaks and send little coffee packages to faithful customers in their workplace.
  • Create afternoon tea sets for the retired and invite them to bring over their children and friends. This attracts traffic to your café and reputes your office coffee service as excellent.

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Coffee in the Future

Coffee had been in existence long before this generation came to be. Yet, we have experienced different trends and changes in drinking coffee. This shows that there’s more change to come as the world keeps evolving.

The cashless economy is here to stay, and so it’s safe to believe that cashless and contactless coffee dispensers are innovations that will continue to improve the economy. Also, the general output of business places, facilitating recreation and leisure. Automated contactless vending machines are in the nearest future sights, with efficiency and ease of gaining satisfaction from consumption of coffee as the prospect.

The coffee machines of the future promise to be minimalist, efficient, and more sophisticated than anything we’ve seen and presently know. We’re tending toward workplace and breakroom efficiency with various coffee machines for office and home use.

Ready-to-drink coffee is the fastest growing in the coffee market. Research shows that, with increasing innovations in coffee, profits in the industry will soon skyrocket. The coffee market, as we know it, will soon give way to a completely rejuvenated sector, with every aspect of the coffee industry will keep in step with the ever-changing trends.

While coffee trees face threats of extinction, there’s hope yet for the coffee industry. Coffee farmers now have to give special conditions for coffee growth, and with fair trade, this is easy and sustainable. The world is yet to see the highest potentials of the mysterious yet straightforward coffee beans. 

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