Have a coffee on site at the bakery : this practice, which has been so commonplace in Reunion Island for many years, was much less widespread in France until the Covid health crisis.. New consumption habits born from confinement have changed the situation.
The French are big consumers of coffee : 73% of them drink coffee daily, on average three cups per day*. There are no figures to assess what coffee consumption in bakeries represents locally., but this practice has been developing for a long time in Reunion Island, to the point of becoming the standard for points of sale. The bakeries with their tables on the terraces played, at this level, one of the roles of bistros in France. Although relatively basic and not really valued, the coffee offering is clearly part of the commercial service of bakeries and pastry shops, generally linked to that of snacking. The bakery in Reunion is not just a place of passage, but also a place of conviviality, where a varied clientele parades throughout the day : breakfast customers, passing customers on their way to work, mid-day break customers, family customers for snacks with children… What Norbert Tacoun confirms, President of the Réunion Federation of Artisan Bakers : “Demand for coffee will depend on location and geographic environment. It’s a side activity, but it is clear that it plays a role in turnover. Coffee is part of how bakeries operate. »
A professional market for coffee brands
In a city, the Cafés Richard brand estimated in 2024 that the sale of hot drinks in bakeries, growing market, represented 8% to 20% of the turnover of artisan bakers. According to Food Service Vision, almost one in two French people (46 %) buy hot drinks from a bakery once a month, 18% several times a week and 7% occasionally. Bakery coffee took off during confinement in 2020. Bakeries and pastry shops being among the only businesses remaining open, bakers responded to a request for on-site coffee. The coffee offering in bakeries has since continued to improve in quality. It has expanded to the point of sometimes getting closer, particularly among certain bakery chains, from that of coffee-chops. Coffee brands, such as Cafés Richard or Nespresso, are positioned on this market. Just like the suppliers of professional coffee machines who offer bakeries easy-to-use equipment..
* Source : Ipsos digital pour Nescafé Dolce Gusto, June 2024.
