( CNN ) -- Italy 's coffee industry is being hit by the debt crisis as consumers stay home and tap quick-fix machines for their caffeine kick . Italians are increasingly buying their coffee on the shelves rather than ordering cappuccinos in the local cafes and bars , and the impact is reverberating through the industry . Budget blues . Mauricio Galindo , head of operations at the International Coffee Organization ( ICO ) , told CNN family 's budgets were being hit by the country 's flailing economy . EXPLORE : How is your confidence in the euro ? `` People do n't drink as many coffees outside because they 're more expensive , a little espresso is 2 euro , 2.50 , '' he said . `` So they just buy to make it at home , and make it cheaper . '' One of the country 's most famous brands is feeling the squeeze as coffee-drinking habits change . Lavazza boss Antonio Baravalle told CNN that `` from a consumer point of view , we are facing a crisis in Italy because the market is losing 3 % [ to ] 4 % . '' Italy has been one of the worst hit countries in the eurozone 's financial crisis . The country has had eight consecutive quarters of economic contraction and unemployment is over 12 % . Coffee consumption in Italy has dropped from 5.9kg in 2008 , as the crisis kicked up , to 5.6kg per person last year , according to the ICO . READ MORE : Eurostar 's pitch to open Europe . According to Galinda , people associate Italy with the espresso machine because it invented the style of coffee brewed under high pressure and with very hot temperatures . However , the Mediterranean country drinks less coffee than its reputation might suggest -- Finland consumption comes in at twice the level . The single shot . The arrival of the capsule-based Nespresso machine has attracted coffee-lovers through the U.S. and the UK , Galinda noted . This move toward single-serve devices could change consumption patterns in Europe , he added . `` As these machines become more popular , as they penetrate Germany and France , this could mean that people overall consume more coffee , '' he told CNN . WATCH : Film studio 's challenges . For Baravalle , the shift creates an opportunity outside the company 's home market . Lavazza currently holds 50 % of the coffee market in Italy , the eurozone 's third-largest economy , but is looking beyond those borders for its growth . `` We want to create USA as a second market for us ... our objective is to become a credible alternative to Nespresso , '' he told CNN .
In 2012 , consumers in Italy , Europe 's second biggest importer of coffee , drank 5.6kg per person . Italians are choosing to buy their coffee on the shelves rather than ordering cappuccinos in the local cafes . Galindo believes the single-serve devices may change consumption patterns in Europe .