The term 'specialty coffee' originated in the United
States. It was initially used to describe the range of coffee products sold in
dedicated coffee shops, in order to differentiate these coffees from coffee
generally available through supermarkets and other retail outlets. The term
'gourmet' is also used but is now applied to so many products that it has lost
all relevance.
Specialty today refers both to whole bean sales and to
coffee beverages sold in coffee bars and cafés (as opposed to restaurants and
other catering establishments). The range includes higher quality coffees, both
single origin and blends, unconventional coffees such as flavoured coffees and
coffees with an unusual background or story behind them. However, with the rapid
growth in the number of specialty coffee retail outlets and more particularly
the expansion of the specialty coffee product range into more mainstream outlets
such as supermarkets, the term has become much looser. It is fair to say that
'specialty coffee' has become a generic label covering a range of different
coffees, which either command a premium price over other coffees or are
perceived by consumers as being different from the widely available mainstream
brands of coffee. The term has become so broad that there is no universally
accepted definition of what constitutes 'specialty coffee', and it frequently
means different things to different people.
Given this lack of precision in definition it is
extremely difficult to describe the market in a global way. The best approach
appears to be to look at the specialty market from different country or regional
viewpoints. However, the very notion 'gourmet' or 'specialty' suggests some
degree of exclusivity. It is unlikely that one could market thousands of tons of
a particular coffee and still call it 'exclusive'.
The first lesson is that one should not 'overdo
it'. It is, and always has been, a mistake to consider specialty coffee
a different industry from the rest of the coffee business. Supply and demand
will not only determine the general level of coffee prices, but will also
determine the premium paid for 'quality'.
The second
lesson is that producers need to target
any special coffee very carefully because the term 'specialty' covers a
large and growing number of different products, each of which has its own
niche.