Near Keene State College, there are a lot of options for coffee. Whether it be Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, Prime Roast, Aroma Joes, The Works Cafe, Brewbakers or any others, students love coffee. But are mainstream coffee shops a favorite over locally brewed coffee?
Sean Curry, in an article from The Food Institute, “America’s Coffee Wars Escalate as Small Towns Serve as Battleground,” said, “This frothy expansion can largely be attributed to the rise of iced, syrupy, not-exactly-coffee drinks that Gen Z and millennials like to post to social media. Major players like Starbucks and Dunkin’ now focus heavily on iced beverages – which look less and less like classic black coffee with every share, like, and comment.”
He continued, “These sugary drinks – from macchiatos to pumpkin-flavored energy drinks – are driving sales so much that traditional brews can’t compete. Even Starbucks is feeling it: consecutive quarters have shown declining revenue and a stock price drop of nearly 30% this year, even with 16,000 U.S. locations. The chain has responded by increasing its own iced and energy drink offerings.”
Coffee Business Intelligence stated that Gen Z has a, “Preference for sweeter, flavored coffee drinks,” and are “heavy users of ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee products, highly influenced by social media trends in coffee consumption.”
Local shops in Keene tend to offer fewer of these sugary options.
The Prime Roast website states, “We offer dark, medium, and light roast coffees, along with decaf and flavored options as well.”
The Works Cafe is self-service iced coffee, unless you order a custom frozen coffee. If you would like it flavored you can pay an additional cost for just the syrup, but you make the coffee yourself.
Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks and Aroma Joes all provide drive-through service, which is the most accessible option that local shops lack.
Most mainstream coffee shops provide online ordering that one can pickup either in store or through the drive through. Some may consider this option more time-efficient.
Keene State students gave their opinion on their go-to coffee shop.
First-year Lilly Adams said, “I prefer mainstream coffee shops because they have more options and things that I personally prefer to drink.”
Junior Grace Furze said, “I’d say coffee shops like Aroma Joes, Starbucks, because they’re easily accessible, available and have seasonal drinks.”
“[I’m] definitely a Dunkin’ girl,” said first-year Lily Smith.
Forbes Magazine wrote, “Modern consumers, especially younger ones, have demanded that the products they consume match the changing dynamic of their lifestyles. And while the traditional hot cup of coffee (served in a diner mug or a classic paper cup to go) still captures a dominant share of the market, new products and packaging have helped fuel young consumers’ earlier adoption of coffee as a beverage of choice.”
Forbes added, “Beyond regular brewed and hot specialty coffee, new categories in iced coffee, frozen blended coffees and ready-to-drink platforms in cans (the innovation key to the ‘Fourth Wave’ of coffee consumption) have made the coffee drinking experience more accessible and easier to drink than ever before, and have allowed new flavor profiles to find an audience.”
Madelyn French can be contacted at
mafrench@kscequinox.com
