More cafes, varieties boost U.S. coffee roastings

By Susan Buchanan
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. coffee companies are roasting beans at the strongest pace in over 30 years, reversing an earlier downtrend, as consumers lap up gourmet java and try new products and origins, according to industry members.

American adults now drink almost as much coffee as soft drinks, for the first time since 1990, the National Coffee Association says.
Roastings nationally reached 19.535 million, 60-kilogram bags in 2005, according to Coffee Publications Inc. in New York, and should exceed that level in 2006 - possibly by 5%. Those widely watched numbers cover most, but not all American roastings.

Hernando de la Roche, managing director of Hencorp Coffee in Miami, says a buoyant U.S. cafe culture - with shops owned by Starbucks and other chains popping up on nearly every city corner - has spurred young adults to drink java, while new offerings on supermarket shelves have also lifted demand.

"The coffee-shop phenomenon has exposed a broader base of consumers" to the brew, said Lars Atorf, spokesman for Procter & Gamble (PG), maker of Folgers. "Coffee's become more popular among younger adults - a group that in the last 10 to 20 years was trending towards sodas and other beverages."

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