Korean market still growing at unprecedented pace

摘要

South Korea's per capita coffee consumption is five times greater than consumption in the rest of the Asia Pacific region, and the total coffee market there was valued at about US$3 billion in 2012. Despite the economic downturn and health concerns, the coffee sector in Korea continues to grow by 30 per cent over last four years. As the younger generation embraces a Western coffee culture and consumers demand premium, high quality coffee, this trend is expected to continue. In 2012, there were about12,000 specialty coffee shops, such as Starbucks and Cafe Bene, in South Korea, a 60 per cent increase since 2008. As the GAIN report explained, most roasted coffee beans imported from the US are handled by US-based coffee franchises such as Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. In addition to these chains, fast food restaurants, such as McDonald's and Lotteria also import roasted coffee.