Coffee shops chill out: Cold-beverage sales swell in summer's heat

By Jake Batsell
Seattle Times business reporter

Working in her garden near Green Lake on an 85-degree afternoon, Rebecca Wilhelm wasn't craving a hot cuppa joe.

When she took a break Tuesday at her neighborhood coffee shop, Zoka Coffee Roaster & Tea, she turned to a cooler form of refreshment: a double-short iced Americano.

"I would not drink hot coffee on a day like this," said Wilhelm, a Bastyr University student who sipped her drink outside while working on a crossword puzzle. "This is a summerly event."

As the mercury rises, so does competition among specialty coffee retailers looking to entice customers with cold drinks and blended beverages. All three of Seattle's major coffee chains have expanded their lineups of chilly drinks this summer, and some independent coffeehouses say cool beverages can account for a third of summertime sales.

"It's really sort of a long-overdue trump card in the coffee industry," said Ted Lingle, executive director of the Specialty Coffee Association of America. "Achieving a balance in your sales mix is an important business strategy. In the summertime, when hot beverages are on the wane, it's nice to have a cold beverage to pick up the slack."

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