YouTube coffee brands are getting more popular, why?
Article by : Janice Chinna Kanniah from Perfect Daily Grind
She is based in Johannesburg, South Africa
To know more please click: https://perfectdailygrind.com/2023/01/why-are-youtube-coffee-brands-becoming-more-popular/
When you think of coffee and YouTube, a number of popular content creators – including James Hoffmann and Morgan Eckroth – may come to mind. In some cases, these channels can receive hundreds of thousands of subscribers – showing that there is rising consumer interest in learning more about coffee.
However, correspondingly, we are also seeing more and more YouTube content creators market and sell their own-branded coffee products, which range from signature blends to capsules to single-serve bags.
Celebrity endorsements, as well as partnerships between coffee brands and prominent figures in the entertainment industry, are not new to the coffee sector. However, the popularity of YouTube-branded coffee has noticeably been growing over the last few years. For instance, YouTube influencer Emma Chamberlain’s coffee brand raised US $7 million in Series A funding in August 2022, which was used to support brand expansion and product development.
Why are more celebrities becoming prominent in the coffee industry?
Marketing is a huge part of the coffee industry, and for a long time now, celebrities have formed a part of this.
One of the most well-known examples is George Clooney’s brand ambassador role at Nespresso. Clooney first partnered with the Swiss capsule manufacturer in 2006, which helped to drive the brand’s growth immensely.
It’s estimated that Nespresso alone manufactures 14 billion capsules per year – largely a result of its “luxurious” marketing which is in line with Clooney’s public image. In fact, Nespresso launched a new television ad campaign which features the American actor in November 2022.
However, Clooney is not the only famous figure partnering with coffee brands. In September 2021, De’Longhi launched the Perfetto campaign with US actor Brad Pitt. At the same time, we’ve also seen more and more big names in entertainment and sports launch their own coffee brands.
One example is National Basketball Association player Jimmy Butler, who launched his own coffee company in partnership with Shopify in September 2021. Butler started selling US $20 cups of coffee to his NBA teammates during the pandemic, which then led to him officially launching the BIGFACE coffee brand the following year.
BIGFACE also purchased more than 1,000lbs of the highest-scoring coffee at Cup of Excellence El Salvador in 2021 – showing that some of these brands also have a growing interest in sourcing higher-quality coffee.
How do YouTubers sell coffee?
David tells me some common ways for content creators to market their coffee on YouTube.
“Creators need to talk about their coffee products in a way that makes sense to their audience,” he says. “Since the creator has built their own community, they know what type of content is important to their audience.
“One important decision to make is how in-depth they need to be about coffee,” he adds. “Not all of their audience wants to watch content about the details of coffee, [including how to brew it in different ways or where it came from].”
Jonathan and Benjamin, meanwhile, explain that they often include a few key details when marketing their coffee products to subscribers.
“We emphasise the differences between how our beans are roasted and how the coffee you buy in the supermarket is roasted,” they say. “We also emphasise that our coffee is sustainably and responsibly sourced.”
Sustainability and responsibility is a key focus for marketing in the coffee industry, too. According to Global Data, 43% of global consumers choose their coffee based on environmental and social sustainability factors. This is especially apparent among millennial and Gen Z consumers, who often place more value on these purchasing factors.
David, meanwhile, adds that the language which YouTube coffee brands use often needs to be more accessible.
“Most creators who sell coffee products don’t explain the nuances of Q grading and the coffee flavour wheel, or what small batch roasting and ethical sourcing are,” he says. “However, many content creators sell specialty-grade coffees because they want to protect the trust they have built with their audience.
“By saying that you only sell specialty-grade coffee, it’s an indication that quality matters to your brand,” he adds.
Photo credits: Carlin Brothers Coffee.