Cold Brew’s Menu Share Doubles, Hits Mainstream

Cold brew coffee has gone mainstream, according to Datassential’s BUZZ Cold Brew Topical report, with menu penetration more than doubling since 2018, from 4% to 9%.

The format is now in the Ubiquity stage of the firm’s Coffee Menu Adoption Cycle and ranks in the 99th percentile for future growth potential, meaning its projected trajectory is expected to outperform 99% of all other foods, beverages, and ingredients over the next four years.

Menu penetration climbed 24% over the past four years, according to Datassential’s Menu Trends platform. “That growth potential remains strong, with penetration projected to climb another 33% over the next four years, though the pace is beginning to slow as the category matures,” the report notes. 

Trial has kept pace with that expansion. Cold brew is now the most consumed specialty coffee after iced coffee, with three in four consumers having tried it and 41% reporting they’ve had it many times. That trial rate has climbed steadily across nearly every demographic since 2020, with Hispanic consumers posting the largest one-year gain at 12 percentage points, followed by Black consumers at 7 percentage points.

Distribution patterns are shifting alongside adoption. Coffee shops remain the dominant away-from-home venue for cold brew at 77% of away-from-home occasions, but fast casual purchases grew five points this past year, suggesting the format is broadening beyond its original specialty-coffee footprint.