Sales of everyone’s favourite bean have grown in recent months as Australians begin brewing cups of coffee at home amid rolling lockdowns.

Last weekend, Victorian-based coffee roaster Axil saw online sales of its beans surge 250% off the back of an explosion in home-brewing coffee.

Fellow Victorian coffee producer St Ali similarly reports an uptick in sales both direct to coffee shops and through supermarkets.

It’s perhaps unsurprising for the state, which accounted for 42% of all lattes sold in the country in 2018 – but the phenomenon is not confined just to Victorians, nor is it just fresh roasted beans taking up pantry space in our homes.

Woolworths reports sales of instant coffee have surged through the pandemic, with the family-owned Vittoria brand seeing a particularly strong increase.

The supermarket chain added that Dhuwa Coffee – the first Indigenous-owned coffee manufacturer to sell through major supermarket chains – have also seen sizable increases in sales.

Coffee market worth billions

Australians collectively consumed 117.6 million kilograms of coffee in 2020 – a lot, but slightly less than the 122.4 million kilograms we devoured in 2019.

Even so, it was enough to push the domestic coffee market’s revenues to US $2.36 billion, with estimates suggesting it will grow at a compound annual rate of 2.19% between 2021 and 2026.

Coffee is so popular in Australia that one in four people say they can’t make it through the day without a cup, and 28% of Australians regularly drink three or more cups each day.

While that may seem like a lot, recent research from the University of South Australia suggests our bodies naturally regulate our coffee intake – with those suffering from blood pressure or heart problems naturally inclined to consume less of the caffeinated brew.

Sources:

• The New Daily: Our coffee habits are actually decided by our genes
• Mccrindle: Australian attitudes towards coffee
• Mordor Intelligence: AUSTRALIA COFFEE MARKET – GROWTH, TRENDS, COVID-19 IMPACT, AND FORECASTS (2021 – 2026)
• News.com.au: Woolworths Vittoria Instant Coffee sales spike during covid lockdown
• Statista: Domestic consumption of coffee in Australia from financial year 2014 to 2020(in 1,000 60-Kilogram bags)
• 9News: Online coffee orders skyrocket during lockdown | Coronavirus | 9 News Australia