One in three Kiwis consider themselves coffee enthusiasts

New Zealanders have a good chance of running into a self-professed ‘coffee connoisseur’, according to our recent survey results.

Nearly one third of survey respondents said they were true coffee experts. Residents of Dunedin were most likely to have labelled themselves in this manner at 38%.

In the same vein, 39% of survey respondents visited the same café multiple times a week, and another 59% confirmed they would deliberately go out of their way to get a good cup of coffee.

While less than a quarter of New Zealanders were loyal to one coffee shop chain, they might be inclined to revisit a five star rated brand. Our results show that Mojo Coffee has the ‘magic beans’ for victory, and received our most satisfied customers award for coffee shops.

Other coffee shops brands rated were Coffee Culture, Muffin Break, McCafé, Coffee Club, Starbuck and Esquires Coffee Houses.

Mojo achieved five star ratings for overall satisfaction, taste, ambience and service. Coffee Culture also earned five stars for their service and ambiance, while Muffin Break and Starbucks scored five star ratings for taste and range respectively.

Our research also found that coffee spending has put a damper on some Kiwi’s wallets. Around one in ten respondents felt stressed about the amount of money they spent on their caffeine rush.

More Aucklanders stressed about coffee spending than New Zealanders from other cities (14%), while Christchurch residents were the least likely to feel stressed about weekly coffee costs (6%). They were also less likely than Aucklanders (15% compared to 20%) to buy a coffee every day.

Canstar Blue commissions Colmar Brunton Australia to regularly survey 2,500 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction. The outcomes reported are the results from coffee shop customers within the survey group – in this case, 1451 people. To qualify, the customer must have bought themselves a coffee from a coffee shop chain in the last four weeks. Brands must receive at least 30 responses to be included.

Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands that received three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10.

Overall satisfaction

Working their caffeinated mojo on the masses has won Mojo Coffee five stars for overall customer satisfaction. Next in line was Coffee Culture and Muffin Break with four stars each, followed by McCafé, Coffee Club, Starbucks and Esquires Coffee Houses with three.

Value for money

The McDonalds-owned coffee chain McCafé scored five stars for their value for money, and was followed by four star winners Coffee Culture, Muffin Break and Coffee Club. Mojo Café, Starbucks and Esquires Coffee Houses received three stars each for this criteria.

Service

Mojo Café and Coffee Culture customers were most satisfied with their coffee chain’s service (e.g. time taken to make the coffee, friendly customer service etc.) Both brands received five stars for this criteria, followed by Muffin Break, Coffee Club and Starbucks with four. McCafé and Esquires Coffee Houses both received three stars for service.

Range

Along with a range of coffee selections (including a wide selection of coffee beans and grinds), coffee shops also market cookies, muffins and other delicious items. For their range of products, Starbucks received five stars, while Coffee Culture and Muffin Break received four stars each. McCafé, Coffee Club, Esquires Coffee Houses and Mojo Café each received three stars for their range.

Ambience

With many coffee chains aiming to promote a relaxed atmosphere, Mojo Café and Coffee Culture both earn top marks for their five star ambience. Coffee Club, Starbucks and Esquires Coffee Houses all notched up four stars for this criteria, followed by McCafé with three stars and Muffin Break with two.

Taste

Better tasting food and great coffee is the hallmark of a top tier coffee chain, and customers of Mojo Café and Muffin Break were most satisfied with their coffee chain’s tasty products. Coffee Culture came next with four stars, followed by three star winners McCafé, Coffee Club, Starbucks and Esquires Coffee Houses.