Coffee consumption brewing in Nigeria and South Africa

Global Business

Nigeria is widely known as a country of tea-drinkers. But that trend could soon change, as coffee vendors hope to grab a bigger share of the beverage market. CCTV Africa’s Kelechi Emekalam reports from Abuja, Nigeria.

Coffee vendors across Nigeria see increasing demand

Nigeria is widely known as a country of tea-drinkers. But that trend could soon change, as coffee vendors hope to grab a bigger share of the beverage market. CCTV Africa's Kelechi Emekalam reports from Abuja, Nigeria.

Classic Rock Coffee located in the Nigerian capital of Abuja is an initial step into this market from the U.S.-based franchise. It opened in December 2014 and its owners are already hoping to dot Nigeria’s major cities with shops.

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“We have big plans to open other branches in Abuja, next we are coming up in Lagos airport, so within two year we have plans to open three to four more branches,” Manager Abina Shirman said.

Source: USDA

One challenge they faced was how to get a predominantly tea drinking nation to drink coffee. Shirman said the answer was making good-tasting coffee and branding.

“If your is coffee nice, you need to do bit of marketing, people need to know your brand, that is how you can attract people. If you have good coffee, milk shakes, and so on, we maintain our taste, the day the taste goes down, people will stop,” Shirman said.

They hope to attract more customers such as Toochi Ibeh, a young professional and coffee fan.

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“I like to work, even when it’s past midnight I want to work, and then ensure that the task for the day, or the task for the week, is achieved within the time that I have and so because of that I would want to stretch myself, and the only thing that can keep me up, personally for me is coffee,” he said.

Customer Biola Ademuwaya said that she drank a lot of tea growing up but has slowly switched to coffee.

“I’m a very adventurous person with my taste buds and I realize that coffee gets me going, It has a jolt that I enjoy, so yes, there’s no reason to stop now,” Ademuwaya said.

Coffee consumption in Nigeria, a country of 170 million people, grew by 5 percent in 2010. While sub-Saharan Africa produces some of the finest coffee in the world, it retains a small fraction of the coffee revenue.


Coffee consumption increases in South Africa as drinkers get choosier

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As the middle class continues to grow, many South Africans are quickly acclimating themselves to drinking coffee. The last decade has seen an increase in the number of coffee roasters and cafes across the country as customers become more selective about the type of coffee they drink.

CCTV Africa’s Sumitra Nydoo reports.

Coffee consumption increases in South Africa as drinkers get choosier

As the middle class continues to grow, many South Africans are quickly acclimating themselves to drinking coffee. The last decade has seen an increase in the number of coffee roasters and cafes across the country as customers become more selective about the type of coffee they drink.

When Jonathan Robinson started the Bean There Coffee Company in 2005, one of the first free trade single origins companies in the country, South Africa barely had a coffee culture.

Source: USDA

“When I first started, I remember people saying you’ll never make a business in African coffee firstly. South Africans don’t like single origins, they want blended Mocca Java or some Italian Blend. So, I think it was quite revolutionary at that point,” Jonathan Robinson said.

Ten years later, the coffee market is thriving and there’s a switch to specialty coffee he added.

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“What started as a few speciality roasteries around the country has now grown to several hundred. When we first started we were the only roaster of fair trade coffee in the whole country and we’ve really pioneered that movement as we’ve gone,” Co-founder Sarah Robinson said.

She added that many customers have high expectations about the quality of coffee they get.

“It’s kind of up there now with your wines and your whiskies where people know what they want and they know how to get it,” she said.

While the company’s goal is to make a perfect cup of brew, it also hopes to make a difference in the lives of African coffee producers who have long being exploited by international coffee houses.

“We wanted South Africans to get to know a country through its coffee. That was our sort of aim to say it’s not just a cup of coffee. This is Ethiopian coffee. It’s got amazing florals. The Kenya got wonderful berries. We wanted consumers to really get to know a country through its coffee,” Jonathan Robinson said.

With the arrival Starbucks in next year, the local market is expected to grow further.