Expansion of single-serve coffee technology will hurt demand for beans, Paul J. Fisher, the president of Fisher Waterhouse LLC, said today.

Demand for arabica beans may drop by as much as 5 percent in the long term as single-serve coffee makers reduce the amount left unused in a larger pot, Fisher said during an industry event in Charleston, South Carolina. Coffee drinkers using drip machines may make a whole pot, while only having one or two cups, throwing the rest out and using more beans than they needed.

With single-serve technology, “there’s no waste,” said Fisher, who has been in the coffee business for 42 years.

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