Coffee Shop Business Guide: How to Create Signature Products & Creative Coffee Drink Recipe Concepts

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Then and Now: The Evolution of Creative Coffee

Past Creative Coffee: Novel! Beautiful! Tempting!

Current Creative Coffee: "Respect... Understanding..."

Regarding the definition of creative coffee, it initially referred to specialty coffee - coffee with added milk, chocolate sauce, and other ingredients. However, as consumers pursue new experiences and novel flavors, today's creative coffee has embraced more "new forms" - including taste, texture, and visual design. The ingredients for creative coffee are no longer limited to flavored syrups and various dairy products.

For example, the "fruit + coffee combination" that first drew attention to creative coffee created distinct layers by incorporating various fruits and juices. Not only was it visually appealing, but its refreshing taste also led more consumers to notice and accept coffee.

Since 2020, many domestic coffee brands have used creative coffee product lines to increase brand awareness. The playfulness, creativity, and shareability of these products have strengthened brand recognition among the public.

Consequently, creative coffee has gained market recognition, and many coffee shops have developed their own signature creative coffee beverages. However, as many creative combinations using dairy products, fruits, and floral teas have been thoroughly explored, extreme contrasts have become crucial for capturing attention. This has led creative coffee down an increasingly bizarre path.

Today, more and more creative coffees no longer pursue flavor harmony but instead embrace a "genetic mutation" approach. Brands disregard whether consumers can truly accept a product, focusing instead on generating discussion and traffic.

Many truly unexpected combinations have gradually emerged into public view. Initially, these creations were still edible and drinkable, providing both coffee and sustenance. Examples include:

Salted Duck Coffee

Coffee Ice Jelly

Tofu Pudding Latte

As this trend developed, the direction became increasingly strange. People stopped caring whether these creations tasted good or were even edible - outrageousness became most important! Examples include:

Agastache Iced Americano

Oyster Iced Americano

Stinky Tofu Americano

The latest version includes Century Egg Latte

I know that by this point, readers will once again tell this writer: "Today's constipation has been cured, and my digestive system has been cleansed." To which I reply in advance: You're welcome.

Today, due to the reputation of creative coffee and its various "masterpieces," consumers have become reserved about creative coffee. There are two main reasons: either the products are too expensive but offer only superficial innovations, or they're so radically different that they become ridiculous.

For many consumers, creative coffee has become one of the driving forces for trying new things and purchasing coffee. This is mainly because these products resonate with them. For brands, having an innovative and practical creative coffee can truly generate traffic and become a bestseller.

Compared to traditional coffee, creative coffee emphasizes creative approaches, featuring characteristics such as high visual appeal, strong interactivity, and more accessible taste profiles. Creative coffee showcases its innovative approach through visual, tactile, and taste experiences, which may be the key reason for strong consumer support.

However, products without repeat purchase rates are destined to be replaced and won't be remembered. Some creations, designed solely to enhance uniqueness, abandon flavor harmony and use unreasonable combinations to create outrageous products, which cannot leave people with good, lasting impressions. People won't remember a coffee shop just because of temporary viral attention. Such rapid iteration cannot help a shop be remembered for long. Only by truly perfecting one product can a business accumulate positive word-of-mouth.

Image source: Internet

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