As Novac writes on the 9th of May, 2020, the coronavirus-induced state of affairs in the country has brought many changes with it, but Croatia's undying love for a certain warm, caffeinated drink hasn't changed. The fact that Croatia's residents can hardly wait to get out and drink coffee on the terraces of their favourite cafes with their loved ones again has been confirmed by the latest research by the Hendal agency and the Croatian company Franck, which was conducted in May.
The coronavirus epidemic has negatively affected a significant number of Croatia's residents (87 percent), mostly the inhabitants of Dalmatia, in their emotional lives as well as in a practical sense, since the epidemic broke out, most stated that they had felt dissatisfaction (53 percent), anger (29 percent) and sadness (29 percent) due to the new situation. Interestingly, as many as 34 percent of citizens, primarily men, stated that the coronavirus epidemic and the restrictions that came with it caused them to experience boredom in their daily lives, while 28 percent felt lonely but also sad, and in the latter, women in particular stand out. On the other hand, about a third of citizens (34 percent) tried to maintain a positive attitude and hoped that life would return back to normal soon.
As they pointed out, they miss spending time with people that mean the most to them more than anything (78 percent), taking trips and travelling (48 percent) and drinking coffee in cafes (44 percent).
The fact that Croatia's residents are chomping at the bit and looking forward to the reopening of cafes and terraces is shown by the fact that 47 percent of them will visit a cafe in the first week of them reopening to drink their favourite coffee, while a third (32 percent) say they will continue to wait until the situation stabilises even more.
The drink that the majority of people (71 percent) will order first will be coffee, and 57 percent of them would like to drink it with friends and with a partner (32 percent), of course with strict adherence to the anti-coronavirus measures which are still in place and the instructions of the National Civil Protection Headquarters. Residents of all regions of Croatia, and especially residents of Dalmatia, are looking forward to drinking coffee in cafes again.
The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic didn't really have a significant impact on the habits of 63 percent of Croatian residents when it comes to coffee drinking rituals, as evidenced by the fact that 66 percent of people, who usually have the habit of visiting cafes, will continue this habit in the exact same way they did before the epidemic. During the restrictions, for 47 percent of coffee lovers, only the location in which they drank their coffee changed.
"This situation has taught us a lot, and the most important thing is to be near to each other. Recent research shows that coffee is drunk on almost all occasions, and it's up to us to make that possible, of course with all precautions taken into consideration. We're working every day to alleviate what these new circumstances bring for our customers and consumers, so, we've provided coffee outside at additional locations, and now that the catering and hospitality industry is re-starting, we have all the capacities to support that ready,'' said Franck.
Earlier on, Handel's research, which was also conducted in collaboration with Franck in October last year, showed that Croatia is indeed a country of coffee drinkers and "let's go for a coffee" is still by far the most common (87.5 percent) invitation for socialisation among Croats.
The most popular types of coffee are ground (Turkish) coffee and espresso in a cafe that is drunk by almost 70 percent of respondents, and when coffee is mentioned, 28 percent of citizens cite the morning, 16 percent cite upon waking up, 15 percent cite the smell, while 14 percent mention Franck.
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