In this article, you’ll learn:
- What consumers are looking for in commercial cold brew – and how to adapt
- How equipment helps you meet the demand for cold brew
- How to market cold brew differently than iced coffee
Coffee culture is always evolving, and consumer preferences are shifting alongside it. Hot, milk-based coffee drinks are no longer the only option. Now, cold brew coffee is a popular product for specialty coffee shops, as well as restaurants, bakeries, and hotels.
This rapid development isn’t taking place in a vacuum, though. Instead, a number of consumer trends are behind the rise of commercial cold brew. In order to stay competitive, businesses that currently or plan to offer cold brew need to be aware of which shifts are taking place. Among them are changes in flavour preferences, health demands, and convenience requirements from consumers.
To learn more about why commercial cold brew is becoming increasingly popular with consumers, I spoke to Sophia Thomas. She is the Chief Social Officer at Thomas Serpa Group, which represents Dunkin’ Donuts. Read on for her insight on these trends – and how businesses can meet them.
Why commercial cold brew is trending: Quality, taste, and wellness
Commercial cold brew’s significant rise in popularity has taken the coffee industry by storm. Between 2023 and 2024 alone, the global cold brew market grew by a staggering 22%. It’s primarily consumed by younger drinkers looking for premium drinks that are marketed as healthy without compromising on flavour.
It’s fast becoming a real rival to traditional iced coffee, too. In the United Kingdom, up to 43% of coffee consumers now drink cold brew at least once a month. It proves that for customers, it’s a more appealing option than ever before.
One of the main reasons that commercial cold brew is so appealing is its unique taste. Unlike iced coffee, which is brewed hot and then cooled down, cold brew is steeped in cold water.
The result is a smoother, less acidic, and usually sweeter drink. “A lot of people like the taste of cold brew better than iced coffee due to the stronger component of it,” Sophia explains.
Cold brew also aligns with the broader trends towards health and wellness. Consumers are increasingly looking for drinks, with 62% of consumers considering health an important factor when buying a drink. This can encompass low-sugar options as well as “clean” sources of energy and traceable, natural ingredients.
Cold brew is often served without milk and sugar, making it well-suited for health-conscious consumers. For this reason, it’s often marketed as a healthier, premium alternative. To meet the rising demand and significant growth, though, you need a deeper understanding of these market trends and tangible ways to meet them.
How to increase commercial cold brew production without sacrificing quality
To effectively meet the demand for commercial cold brew, you need to do more than just add it as a menu option. It’s equally important to find ways to speed up your production and enhance your cold brew marketing. Otherwise, customers may not feel incentivised to try it for the first time.
To produce commercial cold brew more efficiently, Hardtank equipment provides a full-scale solution. Traditional steeping methods take up to 24 hours, which limits how much you can serve daily. It means that as the demand for cold brew increases, you may not be able to meet it.
Commercial cold brew machines, such as the Baby Hardtank, use patented technology to constantly agitate the coffee grounds. This reduces the steeping time to under an hour while maintaining flavour and hygiene requirements. Without these solutions, you risk losing out on potential sales if you run out of cold brew or if a batch is spoiled by imprecise production methods.
The automation and precision of equipment like the Baby Hardtank help to meet consumer demand for consistency by eliminating human error. This is particularly important for chains or venues with rotating staff, where maintaining a consistent profile can be challenging with manual methods. The equipment also has built-in storage to retain recipes and brew profiles, which provides repeatability and scalability for your commercial cold brew operations.
How to market commercial cold brew to Gen Z and Millennials in 2025
Equipment is an important component of your commercial cold brew operations, but having the flexibility to adjust to market trends and demands is equally essential.
In recent years, celebrity endorsements have played a significant role in increasing the profile and popularity of commercial cold brew. For example, in 2025, the actor Channing Tatum partnered with STōK Cold Brew for an advertising campaign, raising awareness by tapping into his existing fan base.
Studies show that this kind of endorsement directly correlates to increased sales and revenue, so it’s a worthwhile investment for commercial cold brew marketing.
“Celebrity endorsements are a great way to promote cold brew,” Sophia says. “Now that cold brew is in high demand, if a celebrity endorsement came out, it could cater to that. I do think if there were more celebrity endorsements towards cold brew, the supply and demand would be very different.”
Combining this with social media is an incredibly effective strategy to promote commercial cold brew. Around 64% of the world’s population uses social media, averaging over two hours a day. Therefore, there’s ample opportunity to meet potential customers in digital environments with your cold brew promotion.
She recommends using it to educate consumers about cold brew and its difference from iced coffee. “Each item is different and needs to be marketed differently,” she says. “Your cold brew marketing should have a slot of its own. In any post you make or any promotion you do, you need to distinguish that.
“If you distinguish iced coffee and cold brew, you could use engaging social media posts to show the difference between brewing cold brew and iced coffee.”
When determining your social media strategy for commercial cold brew marketing, be sure to align with consumer trends. For example, 21% of cold coffee drinkers choose cold brew due to its perceived health benefits, including its smoothness and less acidic flavour profile. Therefore, you can make posts explaining why this is the case and how the brewing process is different. Your content then becomes more than just promotion – it becomes an educational resource as well.
Social media marketing for commercial cold brew is also the best way to reach the drink’s most receptive demographics. Cold brew is especially popular with Gen Z and Millennials, who are also the most engaged social media users.
In the United Kingdom, for example, 97% of Millennials and 98% of Gen Z regularly use social media. As such, focusing on trending visuals and sounds, influencer endorsements, and viral recipes can turn your commercial cold brew into a social media talking point. “Social media reaches the world, so take advantage of it,” Sophia explains.
The rising demand for commercial cold brew is more than a fleeting trend – it’s a global shift in the coffee industry. Therefore, you need to find ways to meet these demands, both in how you make and serve the drink, and how you promote it.
Coffee shops, bars, restaurants, and foodservice businesses that understand these motivations and invest in equipment and promotion are best positioned to lead the sector.
See what a 3x faster workflow looks like: speak to the Hardtank team or browse our range of equipment here.
FAQ
What are the consumer trends behind commercial cold brew?
The main trends causing a rise in cold brew’s popularity are health and quality. Cold brew is often considered less acidic and smoother than hot coffee, and is usually consumed without milk and sugar. It is also considered a “premium” drink that appeals to more discerning consumers.
How can a business meet the growing demand for commercial cold brew?
Primarily, you should look for equipment that helps you speed up cold brew production without sacrificing quality. The Baby Hardtank achieves this with constant agitation, reducing the brewing time for a batch to less than an hour. That way, you can quickly adjust to higher demand or particularly busy days.
Why is social media important for marketing commercial cold brew?
As a drink, cold brew typically appeals to younger audiences like Gen Z and Millennials, who are also the most engaged on social media. Therefore, it creates an opportunity to present your cold brew to an engaged audience, create viral content, align with trends, or work with celebrities.
How does cold brew appeal to health-conscious consumers?
Cold brew is naturally low in sugar, less acidic than hot coffee, and often enjoyed black. This makes it a popular choice among health-conscious customers. It also contains natural caffeine and antioxidants, which appeal to consumers looking for clean energy without added ingredients.
What’s the difference between iced coffee and cold brew?
Iced coffee is brewed hot and then chilled, while cold brew is made by steeping coffee grounds in cold water for several hours. Cold brew tends to be smoother, less acidic, and often stronger in caffeine. It’s also seen as a more premium, craft-style drink, which allows many businesses to charge more per serving.
