Coffee Industry Trends for 2023

“As long as there was coffee in the world, how bad could things be?” City of Ashes

Coffee is a staple in our society, and the coffee industry continues to grow, with U.S. sales in 2022 at $69 billion in Roast and $15 billion in Instant in 2022. By 2025 those numbers are projected to grow to $83 billion in Roast and $19 billion in Instant coffee sales in the U.S.

Growth is a great opportunity, but it also requires planning when it comes to how pet foods are conveyed in your facility. How are companies preparing to handle this type of growth at their processing facilities?

In October 2022, Cablevey Conveyors commissioned the independent research firm, Ascend2, to conduct a research study titled Evaluating and Implementing New Conveyor Systems. The 16-page study (download for free) asked 290 food processing professionals in the United States and the United Kingdom to provide their insight on critical considerations when evaluating conveyor systems.

In this article, we will review and analyze the findings from 106 food processing professionals that are conveying coffee. What are they doing to prepare for growth? Use these findings and download the report for more information to help prepare for what is ahead in the coffee industry.

Finding #1: Budgeting for Growth.

86% of facilities processing coffee are increasing their budget for conveying equipment and maintenance in the next 12 months. 35% tell us that they are increasing significantly the budget needed to meet growth opportunities. Why the increase in the budget? The increase is in response to how much these businesses grew in the past year. An astounding 79% of facilities experienced 11% or more growth in the past year. With this type of growth, facilities must plan to accommodate the increased conveying capacity of coffee to meet the growing demand.

Finding #2: What type of conveying system optimizes a facility’s workspace?

An important consideration of growth is your workspaces and facility requirements. What conveying systems are best for the space that you have available? Are you optimizing the space you have available?

98% of coffee industry professionals told us that they are optimizing their workspaces and facility requirements. How are they doing it? According to the coffee processing experts surveyed, the #1 conveying system (54%) for maximizing available space is cable and disk conveyors.

Here are a few questions to ask when evaluating the right conveyor system to optimize the space at your facility:

• Do you have enough floor space or ceiling height to accommodate certain conveyor types?
• Does the layout of the conveying system take into account easy access for cleaning and maintenance, worker safety, and operational performance?

Here is a short video that shows a coffee plant conveying layout and how to optimize space, maintain coffee bean integrity, and preserve quality.

Finding #3: Consider maintenance and downtime when you plan.

For coveying coffee, what systems are the most efficient when it comes to maintenance and downtime? Cable and disc conveyors lead the pack (by a wide margin) at 50%.

Why are cable and disc conveyors so popular? The Cablevey tubular drag-style conveyors are designed to require simple pneumatic tensioning for the cables and require very little maintenance. Cleaning is easy as well, with clean-in-place methods available to improve efficiencies and reduce downtime.

Finding #4: The best solution to maintain the integrity of conveying coffee.

The moisture content of a dried, processed coffee bean ranges from 10-12%. This makes beans brittle and sensitive to shock, vibration, or changes in humidity. Ground coffee’s fine texture also renders it a delicate material that requires careful handling. The coveying system you select needs to maintain the integrity and homogeneity of your coffee beans.

What system ranks #1 by coffee industry professionals for maintaining the integrity of coffee beans? Cable and disc conveyors are first at 54%.

When evaluating a conveying system for product integrity, here are two questions to ask:

• Will the system maximize hygiene levels while minimizing downtime?
• Will the system gently convey your products to avoid material breakage and product loss?

Finding #5: Don’t forget energy efficiency.

What contributes to energy efficiency? The size of the motor and the amount of horsepower required to run a conveying system can have a major impact on production costs. What conveying system is the most energy efficient for coffee? Cable and disc conveyors are #1 by a wide margin, at 55%.

Here are two questions to ask regarding energy and efficiency:

• How much energy will this system use?
• Is there a high or a low cut-off point at which this system becomes inefficient?

Conclusion

The coffee industry is growing and evolving. This research study provides insight into the specifics of how industry professionals are preparing for that growth and making the best decisions for their facilities.

The research points to cable and disc conveyors as the superior solution for coffee facilities. Tubular conveyors help streamline coffee processing and maintain the product quality of green coffee beans, ground coffee, and powdered (soluble) coffee.

To find out if a Cablevey system is the best solution for conveying your coffee beans, have the Cablevey Testing Center perform a free test for you. The Testing Center will provide you with the data to help you make the most informed decision for your specific need.

This article only covers a portion of the finding from the Ascend2 research study. Download Evaluating and Implementing New Conveyor Systems for more insight into the food processing industry.