Coffee culture remains hot – as well as cold-brewed. Meaning, coffee is no longer just the morning ‘get up and go’ – drinking coffee (and tea) has never been a more social, “feel good” activity than it is now. And of course, that’s great news for the promotional products salesperson.
The number of coffeehouses grew from 35,616 to 37,189 between 2018 and 2020 – because Americans of all ages love their coffee, and the practice of meeting friends, family and co-workers for coffee and conversation is deemed an enjoyable social activity.
According to Joe’s Garage Coffee (www.joesgaragecoffee.com), the top coffee trends are: Dalgona (whipped coffee), snapchilled coffee, nitro cold brews, matcha lattes, ready-to-drink coffee, plant-based milk/cream alternatives, coffee drive-throughs and coffee delivery.
For savvy coffee roasters and coffee shops, promotional products are a significant part of their businesses as many create brands, cultures and experiences, perhaps more so than most other businesses on your client roster.
When working with a coffee roaster/shop, the idea of creating “super fans” is a viable (and fun) goal because most coffee drinkers seek out what would become their favorite coffee house for a grab and go or a sit and sip. In its blog article, “How to Create Raving Fans and Why They’re So Important,” Joe’s Garage Coffee asserts, “average brands will have average fans but companies that offer something special will attract attention and build a loyal customer base.”
This is obviously where you, the promotional products expert, step in to help local coffee roasters and coffee houses to create and engage superfans. And it’s not too difficult, as many of these shops have creative names. For example: King of Clubs (Williamsburg, VA), Strange Matter Coffee (Lansing, MI), Copper Door Coffee Roasters (Denver, CO), and Three Tail Coffee (Hector, AR).
A fun and inexpensive item that goes a long way in branding is the humble sticker. Stickers are prized among younger consumers who place them on their vehicles as showing that they’re part of a tribe. Your coffee roaster/shop can give these stickers as a gift with purchase, or to sell as a fundraiser, with proceeds going to a local animal shelter, for example. Mad Priest Coffee Roasters, Chattanooga, TN, sells five sticker styles, for example, as does fellow Tennessee java roasters Muletown Coffee Co., which sells them as a pack.
There is an expansive list of coffee roasters/shops on www.coffeebeaned.com, where you can click on the roasters’ websites to see how they are merchandising, what they already have and what they don’t – and what they possibly must have. Roasters are listed by state and this resource is updated constantly.
Here’s a snapshot of the logoed merchandise offered by roasters across the country.
West Shore Coffee Bar in Warwick, RI, sells a lot of merchandise: stickers, large mugs, bike water bottle, beach towel, sunglasses, travel tumbler, white tank top, royal blue hoodie, ladies’ V-neck T, ladies’ tank, graphic T-shirt, and even a selection of doggie bandanas. Rook Coffee Roasters with 11 locations in Monmouth County, NJ, is a local leader in coffee roasters, and fans are identified by the rook silhouette logo sticker on their vehicles. The fast-growing chain also sells logoed merchandise including several styles of hoodie, Corkcicle tumbler, hydro flask, sweatshirt blanket, classic beanie, chowder mug, camp mug, Miir insulated camp cup, and T-shirts. Mod Cup in Jersey City, NJ, sells its superfans a leather keychain, patch, and enamel pin, in addition to drinkware and apparel. Reverie Roasters in Wichita, KS, sells two styles of logoed enamel pins. Colter Coffee Roasting, Billings, MT, sells a black camo trucker cap, 20-oz. bottles in wood grain, white marble, and copper; 20-oz thermal tumbler.
As you can see, quality apparel, especially hoodies and T’s, are hot sellers in the coffee shop market, as are, appropriately, tumblers and mugs. Stickers and enamel pins seem to be trending in this retail category.
Coffee roasters are always working on new blends and new flavors, and each launch should be heralded with a promotional product for giveaway with purchase. Many such businesses also plan to develop more coverage by opening new locations, and of course, this too, begs more “merch.”
Some excellent resources are the Coffee Roasters Guilt (www.crg.coffee), the National Coffee Association (www.ncausa.org), and www.roastmagazine.com.
Coffee roasters/shops continue to grow in number and working with them to create their “merch” campaign can be fun and lucrative.