Your Customers Already Drink Coffee at Home. Are They Buying It From You?

But the reality is, that’s only the beginning. Most coffee consumption actually happens somewhere else.

Across Australia and New Zealand, over 80% of consumers we surveyed consumed at home, with cafés playing an important but secondary role in people’s daily routines.

That means your customers are likely already making coffee at home every day.

The real question is: Where are they buying that coffee?

For most consumers, the answer is the supermarket. Our research shows that supermarkets dominate the home coffee market with 75 % purchasing from a supermarket over their local cafe.

But cafés have something supermarkets don’t.

Trust, freshness and local.

Your customers already trust the coffee you serve them every day. They trust your baristas, your recommendations and the flavour in the cup.

That puts cafés in a unique position to win a greater share of the home coffee market.

Retail coffee is one of the simplest ways cafés can increase revenue.

Unlike food or drinks, retail coffee:

• doesn’t add pressure to service
• has strong margins
• strengthens brand loyalty

And most importantly, the customer is already standing in front of you. Research shows around one in three home coffee drinkers already buy beans from cafés for home.
Which means the behaviour already exists. The opportunity is simply capturing more of it.

A regular customer who buys one coffee per day might spend around $30 per week in a café. If that same customer buys a $22 – $25 retail bag of coffee, it becomes one of the highest value transactions they make in your café.

Retail coffee turns a daily habit into a weekly purchase relationship. And it keeps your café part of their routine even when they’re not visiting.

How Cafés Increase Retail Sales

The cafés that sell the most retail coffee tend to do a few things well. Make retail visible

Customers need to see the product. Clear displays near the counter dramatically increase retail sales.
Let the barista recommend it

A simple question can change behaviour:“Would you like a bag of the coffee you're drinking today?”Customers often don’t realise they can buy the coffee they just enjoyed.
Talk about flavour

Retail coffee becomes much easier to sell when customers understand what they’re buying. Simple flavour notes and brew suggestions can make the decision feel more accessible.

Every café already has customers who drink coffee at home. Right now, many of those customers are buying their beans from a supermarket shelf. But cafés are uniquely positioned to win that sale — with fresher coffee, better guidance and a trusted brand.

The opportunity isn’t convincing customers to drink coffee at home. They’re already doing that.

The opportunity is making sure they’re drinking your coffee when they do.