Chinese coffee consumption growing seven times faster than global average

Global Business

New data shows that coffee consumption is growing seven times faster in China than the global average. The rising number java connoisseurs is certainly giving the coffee companies a buzz. CCTV America’s Grace Brown reports.

China may be a traditionally tea-drinking nation, but it’s increasingly craving coffee. According to the China Coffee Association Beijing, China’s coffee consumption is growing by 15 percent every year, compared to two percent globally.

“We source all our coffee beans from overseas and roast them ourselves. Our customers are people who appreciate very high-quality coffee. They’re mostly in their mid twenties to mid forties. Since opening, we have seen specially coffee is a new trend,” said Sheri Zhang, the founder of Soloist Coffee Co, an artisanal cafe in Beijing.

While increasingly popular, coffee is still far from mainstream in China. According to Nestle, China only consumes about five cups a year per person, compared to 300 cups a year in Japan.

But the growth in China is boosting sales at Nestle. Its high-end Nespresso range is quickly expanding, driven by urbanization and tourism.

“We believe that Beijing and Shanghai still represent a huge opportunity, just in terms of households, with the potential to consume premium coffee. Not only in major coastal cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but also in cities like Sanya and some other holiday destinations, where actually Chinese like to try more coffee, because they have more time,” said Alfonso Triosi, the country manager of Nespresso, in Mainland China.