As International Coffee Day approaches (Friday 1st October) a survey conducted by national charity initiative UK Coffee Week has revealed that we are nation of coffee lovers, with 70% of us drinking at least two cups of coffee or more per day.
In fact, 23% of coffee drinkers said they regularly downed more than three cups of coffee per day and a further 21% said they drank more than four cups per day!
Latte was found to be the nation’s most popular choice of coffee, with cappuccino, americano and flat white following close behind.
For those who love coffee, UK Coffee Week (18th to 24th October) is the perfect excuse to drink as much coffee as you like whilst also raising vital funds to help those growing our beans.
Every year thousands of coffee lovers, roasters, coffee shops, restaurants and other outlets, come together during UK Coffee Week to raise funds for Project Waterfall, a charity working to end the water crisis in coffee-growing communities across the world.
While we enjoy our delicious lattes and cappuccinos, thousands of people who live in coffee-growing communities still live without the basic human needs of clean running water and sanitation.
Project Waterfall works tirelessly with delivery partners such as WaterAid to end the water crisis. So far UK Coffee Week has raised more than £800,000 for Project Waterfall, and helped fund 13 projects in Ethiopia, Kenya, Nicaragua, Tanzania and Uganda, changing more than 45,000 lives.
Venues sign up to participate and can raise money in numerous ways including donating from every cup or bag of coffee sold during the week, while customers can make a difference by ordering their usual coffee, knowing they are supporting the people at the source of their coffee.
UK Coffee Week founder Jeffrey Young said: “UK Coffee Week is about celebrating our nation’s coffee industry as well as supporting our coffee-growing communities.
“Taking part is also a great way for businesses to attract new customers and drive demand. You will be joining with the entire industry to fundraise and change the lives of communities in need.”
The Impact of Coffee survey was an online survey of 2,235 people from across the country between 14 and 21 September 2021 conducted by The Allegra Group.
Additional findings from the survey:
Over 65% of people said they would visit an independent coffee shop over the coming months to support them as they recover from the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and for preferred quality of products.
68% of people said supporting local coffee shops was important when deciding where to drink their coffee.
70% of people said they were not aware of the water crisis in coffee-growing communities.
Nearly 81% (80.7%) of people are unaware of the origin of their coffee.
More than a fifth of people (23%) said they would be happy to pay 20p or more to make a difference to coffee-growing communities.
It’s easy to get involved with UK Coffee Week and businesses are not expected to raise a set amount, just whatever they can. Popular fundraising activities include:
Donating 10p from every coffee sold, or 50p from a 200g bag of coffee.
Running online or in-store competitions or raffles.
Creating a special menu item and donating a % of the sale or holding a bake sale.
Running in-store or online workshops (how to be a barista, cupping 101, latte art class etc) or hosting social evenings of fun (games nights, live music etc).
Businesses wishing to register or customers wanting to find out which coffee shops in their area are taking part can visit www.ukcoffeeweek.com .
To help run UK Coffee Week there is a registration fee of £10 per outlet/online business. For those with 10 or more outlets, please email hello@ukcoffeeweek.com for more information and to register.
All donations collected during UK Coffee Week support the work of Project Waterfall, thanks to our generous sponsors: Alpro, Goodtill, illycaffè UK, KIND, MONIN, Costa Coffee, 3TEMP, Allpress Espresso, BRITA, CANNACOFFEE, Caravan Coffee Roasters, Coffee Friend, Colonna Coffee, Decent Packaging, Fracino, Lyons Coffee, Magic Stamp, Rens Original, Squaremile Coffee Roasters, Trung Nguyen and Union Roasted.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors:
For more information, interviews, images & logos or to discuss competitions, giveaways and promotions email Rebecca Slater press@ukcoffeeweek.com or Yvonne.Winborn@ukcoffeeweek.com
Jeffrey Young established Project Waterfall and its flagship fundraising campaign UK Coffee Week in 2011 as a way for the coffee industry to come together and give back to the communities where their coffee is grown. Find out more at www.ukcoffeeweek.com.
UK Coffee Week 2021 official sponsors include:
Alpro: Alpro Barista is the official plant-based drinks partner for the fifth year running. As a B-Corp certified company, the plant-based category leader demonstrates that sustainability – both social and ecological – is at the heart of their business.
Goodtill by SumUp: Goodtill by SumUp is the official POS partner of UK Coffee Week. Offering fully customisable, feature-rich POS solutions to grow your business.
KIND: KIND is the official snack partner of UK Coffee Week, for the third year running. High quality, wholesome ingredients, the perfect snack when on-the-go.
MONIN: MONIN is the official flavour partner of UK Coffee Week for the fourth year. MONIN has been producing premium flavoured syrups in Bourges, France, for over a century, using only the finest ingredients sourced from around the world. With over 100 flavours ranging from classics like Vanilla and Hazelnut to new varieties such as Tonka Bean and Pumpkin Spice, there really is a flavour for everyone.
illycaffè UK: illycaffè is the official coffee partner of UK Coffee Week. illycaffè is an Italian family business, founded in Trieste in 1933 and committed to offering the greatest coffee to the world. It produces the unique illy 100% Arabica blend made of 9 of the world’s best selections of Arabica, with a constant eye towards innovation. In 2021 it became the first Italian coffee company to obtain B Corp international certification thanks to its commitment to abiding by the highest environmental and social performance standards.
