Coffee Consumers Are Changing. Is Your Business Ready for 2027? (Lee Safar) | EP1718 Part 3 of 5 (Map It Forward)
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Episode Description
This is part 3 of a new 5-part solo series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. In this final solo series of 2026, Lee explores why 2027 could be an exceptionally unpredictable year for coffee and what businesses across the global supply chain need to do to prepare.
In this episode, Lee focuses on the consumer and why coffee businesses can no longer assume that customers will continue absorbing rising prices.
After years of inflation, household debt, and mounting cost-of-living pressures, consumers are adjusting their spending habits. Some are visiting cafés less frequently, brewing more coffee at home, switching to more affordable brands, or looking for different products that better suit their budgets and preferences.
At the same time, coffee businesses are facing rising operating expenses, from rent and energy to financing and labour. Lee explains why concentrating exclusively on green coffee prices overlooks the wider financial pressures affecting profitability.
She also challenges coffee businesses to reconsider their assumptions about consumer preferences, including growing demand for blends, darker roasts, and more accessible coffee products.
Rather than expecting customers to adapt to the products businesses want to sell, Lee encourages owners to understand their customers as they are today, not as they were when the business first opened.
The episode offers a practical framework for navigating changing consumer behaviour, including stronger communication plans, customer acquisition and retargeting strategies, reviewing product mix and pricing, and building the agility to respond quickly when market conditions change.
Central to the discussion is Map It Forward's mission to help build responsible businesses with responsible pricing models. Lee explains why listening to customers, living within your means, and creating value across your business ecosystem could make the difference in 2027.
Connect with Lee Safar and Map It Forward:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leesafar
Map It Forward: https://mapitforward.coffee