In our January 2013 follow-up study, we attempted to gain a deeper understanding of the Super Specialty and Specialty Adopter consumer with a particular interest in identifying opportunities for category growth. Of interest was the identification of key milestones and transition points as well as a better understanding of the differences, if any, between the journey of the Super Specialty consumer and the Specialty Adopter. We wanted to know, how did they evolve into the coffee drinkers they are today? What influenced their choices along the way? Where do opportunities for conversion exist? What, if any, geographical and generational differences are present?

The purpose of this research was to move further into the exploration of the specialty coffee consumer and build on our findings from 2012 looking specifically at:

• How to coffee drinkers arrive at specialty, what is their point of entry?

• What does that journey look like?

• Does something happen along the way that turns Specialty Adopters into Super Specialty Drinkers?

• What if any, generational differences exist? Is there a ‘new consumer’ pathway emerging?

• What insights can we uncover to help us understand the conversion points – to specialty in general and to Super Specialty?

The research was commissioned by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and conducted by Jessica Tracy, an independent qualitative market researcher and Amplify Research, a qualitative facility, field management and consulting firm located in Pleasanton, CA.