Ireland is fast becoming a nation of year-round chilled coffee lovers, with under-35s turning to cold caffeine drinks flavoured with syrups and topped with foamed non-dairy milk in all weathers.
Caffeine drinks elevated with flavours like wild strawberry, passion fruit, and salted caramel are becoming increasingly popular – with sales of cold coffees rising by 11% this year. Bewley’s say that they have witnessed a sharp increase in sales of its chilled coffees to customers over the past six months.
These include coffees infused with nitrogen known as nitro brews, iced lattes, as well cold foamy milk drinks. And the leading Irish coffee company has distribution in Ireland of specially designed automated milk frothing machines as demand for chilled coffees served with cold foamed milk grows.
“The sales of chilled flavoured coffees and espresso martinis outnumbered the amount of hot coffees we sold by almost 1,500 cups at Electric Picnic and Kaleidoscope” says Julie Murray, Head of Coffee Culture at Bewley’s.
“Menus in speciality coffee shops were once gloriously simple and consisted of three main items – espresso, espresso with milk, and filter coffee. This was a situation the shop owners loved because it was easy to manage, with simple price points and choice. The new cohort of coffee drinkers are looking for a lot more variety and specialty coffee shops are selling iced lattes flavoured with syrups in response”.
Monin’s Europe-wide Winter Drinks Trends report 2022/23, published ahead of International Coffee Day this Sunday (October 1), also reveals that 7.3% of under 35s will drink at least one iced coffee away from home each day.
“For the younger customer, there is something extrinsic about the way they enjoy their coffee. It’s all about what they can add to the experience” says Julie. “And they sip their cold coffees, which can be flavoured with a syrup of their choice, and topped with cold frothed milk, no matter the weather”.
In response to the increased demand, Julie said Bewley’s is now selling automated milk frothing machines to the hospitality sector in Ireland.
The Latte Art Factory automated milk frother sits alongside the barista’s espresso machine and grinder and can even pump nitro coffees straight into the glass.
“The Latte Art Factory not only dispenses cold and hot textured milk but also nitro cold brews. It greatly improves efficiency and helps the industry overcome labour challenges…” said Julie.
