Coffee Island emerges as pre-eminent coffeeshop brand in Greece; attempt to absorb rising costs

Greece-based Coffee Island, a coffeehouse and roastery brand mostly operating on a franchise basis, aims to reach 2021 levels, even amid an ongoing surge in inflation and commensurate pressure on household incomes, company CEO Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos told OT this week.

“Greek consumers haven’t cut out coffee, they’ve instead become more skeptical over the past weeks, and this is demonstrated more and more,” he said, commenting on rising coffee prices, in tandem with an energy crisis and higher transport costs.

Although pandemic-related “lockdowns” are a thing of the past, coffeeshop owners and corporate offices report that levels have still not returned to pre-2019 levels, despite what appears to be a record-breaking season for Greek tourism in 2022.

Konstantinopoulos said Coffee Island outlets are attempting to absorb the higher cost of coffee, as a raw material, as much as possible, in order to support the resilience of franchise-holders, associates and to maintain job spots.

Coffee Island now figures as the most prominent storefront brand in terms of coffeeshops in the east Mediterranean country, both in terms of outlets in Greece and overseas.

Specifically, 427 Coffee Island outlets operate in Greece, four of which are run by the parent company, in 110 cities. Another 45 outlets operate in Cyprus, while another eight outlets operate in six countries: Canada, UK, Switzerland, Romania, Egypt and the UAE.

Konstantinopoulos said the company is now attempting to promote more food items and snacks as part of its menu, with the latter category now accounting for 25 percent of sales.