Specialty Coffee Sales Perking Up

In the U.S., specialty coffees rose from about 37 percent of coffee cups sold in 2011 to 46 percent in 2012, according to the National Coffee Association. Many Americans cut back on their gourmet coffee fix during the economic downturn, but others aren't willing to give up the small luxury, according to a recent survey by BIGinsight for Stores magazine.

Proof that there's continuing demand for better coffee, fast-food operator Burger King last week announced it had overhauled its coffee offerings, with the new brews blended by Seattle's Best Coffee. In general, customers in the U.S. know more about coffee than they did 20 years ago, says Bill Swoope Jr., co-founder of Coffee Tree Roasters shops and Iron Star Roasting Co., both based in West Mifflin, PA. "They're the most educated in coffee than they've ever been in their lives,"