You'd think the explosion of new coffee outlets in the last ten years would mean the to-go market has reached saturation point. Right? Well it just ain't so, according to the fifth annual Project Café report from Allegra. What the report says Allegra talked to 154 senior managers in the industry - as well as over 5,000 coffee shop consumers. That's as well as dipping into financial accounts, visiting sites and good old-fashioned research. The report finds that a massive 41.6 per cent of consumers buy to-go at least once a week - and 6.8 per cent buy it every single day. It's the 24-44 age range that's buying most of the to-go coffee - more men than women choosing coffee on the go.

And the news gets better still. Compared to 12 months ago, over a third of consumers are buying more coffee to-go. Better still, over 45 per cent of people under 24 are buying more than they did a year ago.

Consumers also say they see to-go as a convenient option - and they also say they're more willing to spend money on to-go.

Our take on to-go
We also have some of our own evidence for the shape of the to-go market.

Believe it or not, we've actually counted the number of people holding coffee cups in the streets of the world's major cities. We even scan the gutters for abandoned cups.

Yes, we know it's not healthy - and we're seeking professional help.

At 8.45am on a Monday morning, a third of people in Seattle are clutching a cup. That drops to a tenth of New Yorkers, a twentieth of Londoners and less than a thirtieth of Glaswegians.

It also seems that consumers simply can't find enough outlets which sell good quality coffee. (Of course, appalling coffee-to-go is available pretty much anywhere.)

Even the ubiquitous Starbucks barely scratch the surface.

In other words, consumers want the good stuff - and if they could find it, they'd buy more. Which is good news for all of us in the coffee business.

It's also worth thinking a little about why people choose to buy to-go. Many customers see their cup as a fashionable badge - "I buy the good stuff - and here's the proof". Nobody looks cool with a white polystyrene cup. Not even in an ironic way.

To-go for everyone - everywhere
Atomic is our rather cunning take on to-go. Anyone (yes, anyone) can use it - that means customers simply pick up an extremely attractive cup, pop it in the machine, select their drink and it magically appears.

Perhaps "magically" is overstating the case a little. But it really does a very creditable job of lattes and cappuccinos. (No wand-wizardry required.)

So your customers get very nice coffee, thanksverymuch. You get another reason for people to hand over their cash. And you don't need to employ a legion of temperamental baristas to make it all happen.

This article originally appeared in Fresh 18