Abstract:
More than 1.6 billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide on a daily basis. South Africa
is rapidly adapting to worldwide trends with speciality coffee consumption on the rise, with
South Africa recently having been recognised as a key player in the speciality coffee
industry. Emerging market trends in speciality coffee consumption have resulted in a
number of changes in consumption patterns, preferences and consumer behaviour. The
purpose of this study was to determine the behavioural intention of speciality coffee
consumers in South Africa, using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The data were
gathered from a non-probability sample of 327 respondents, who were selected through a
self-completion online questionnaire. The results indicate that males consume more
speciality coffee than females. The majority of respondents consume speciality coffee
more than once a day, and foam cappuccinos are consumed most regularly. The results of
the stepwise multiple regression analysis demonstrate the utility of the Theory of Planned
Behaviour as a conceptual framework for predicting the behavioural intention of speciality
coffee consumers. The findings indicate that attitude, subjective norms and perceived
behavioural control are important predictors of behavioural intention. Furthermore,
perceived behavioural control is the most important factor influencing speciality coffee consumption, and the most influential of the direct measures of the Theory of Planned
Behaviour. With the current rise in speciality coffee consumption among South Africans,
the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework contributes to understanding those factors
which influence regular speciality coffee consumption. It is recommended that marketers
and practitioners adapt their offerings to appeal to the specific needs of the growing
speciality coffee market in South Africa.
