With over half a dozen cafés near the University of Oregon campus, coffee is fairly easy to find no matter where you are. Regardless of whether you’re looking for a quick fix on campus at The Buzz, or at Vero Espresso at West University, local coffee joints are reaping the benefits.
The Emerald surveyed 108 UO students ranging from ages 18 to 34 to ask about their coffee consumption. Results show that 51 percent of those surveyed drink one or more cups of coffee a day. Overall, 27 percent admitted to drinking at least two or more cups as a normal routine.
Thirty-eight percent of coffee drinkers were enrolled in majors having to do with science, including biology and chemistry. Business majors ranked second, with 20 percent drinking one or more cups a day.
Mikayla Arellano is a freshman studying religious studies and an avid coffee drinker.
“I started drinking coffee more frequently when I was a junior in high school,” said Arellano. “My mom introduced me to Starbucks and I’ve loved it ever since.”
The coffee industry is one of the biggest world-wide. The profits even exceed sugar and natural gas. Coffee comes in second as one of the most sought-after commodities in the world behind crude oil, according to a Business Insider article.
Tom Driscoll, the UO director of dining services, oversees the staff and sales of the dining services on campus. One of the most profitable coffee shops that Driscoll oversees is Common Grounds, which serves a variety of espresso drinks, coffee and foods in Hamilton Hall.
“Common Grounds (generates) about $35,000 a week in total sales,” said Driscoll. “On average, about 18 percent of that is due to coffee-related products.”
A coffee place like Common Grounds will run through 75 pounds of coffee beans before the next shipment the following Monday. Assuming that it takes about eight grams of ground coffee beans to make a single cup of coffee. That’s as much as 4,252.43 cups a week.
Miguel Cortez is the manager of Espresso Roma and has seen the growth of coffee among students over his 25 years of business.
“Business has become more consistent the last 10 years,” said Cortez. “About 90 percent of the customers are students and the other 10 are mostly people passing through and from the hospital nearby.”
Student purchases make up a huge percentage of what the campus and local coffee places earn. As long as there’s a need to get a few more hours out of the day — students will continue to help these businesses thrive.
Follow Justin Hun on Twitter @justinthehun
How much coffee do you drink in one day?
Daily Emerald
February 5, 2015
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