China’s coffee market be booming right now, folks. It’s like, everywhere you look, there’s a new coffee shop popping up, making it easier for everyone to get their caffeine fix. And get this, even the President is getting in on the action, endorsing coffee from Yunnan province and boosting interest in the drink.
According to some industry peeps, the coffee culture is spreading beyond the big cities and becoming more affordable for the average Joe. New players with fancy business models and flavors are jumping into the game, forcing the OG coffee shops to rethink their game plans.
In the past year, a whopping 66,920 coffee shops opened their doors in China. That’s a net increase of nearly 12,000 stores once you factor in the ones that closed down. It’s like a coffee shop explosion up in here, y’all.
This surge in coffee goodness is all part of a bigger push to promote local beans. President Xi Jinping even said that Yunnan coffee is where it’s at. And let me tell you, both local and international coffee chains are feeling the heat. Starbucks, once ruling the coffee scene in China, has seen its market share drop from 34% in 2019 to 14% in 2024. Ouch.
And get this, most of the action is happenin’ in second-tier cities and these “new first-tier” cities. You know, places that aren’t as fancy as Beijing or Shanghai but are growing like nobody’s business. Like Chengdu in Sichuan, adding almost 2,000 stores last year, or Hangzhou, a tech hub in eastern China, with 1,725 new spots. It’s like a coffee revolution, y’all.
I’m not really sure why this matters, but the coffee market in China is really takin’ off. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like everyone’s gonna be buzzing on caffeine soon enough. So grab your cup of joe and enjoy the ride, ’cause this coffee train ain’t stoppin’ anytime soon.
And that’s the scoop on China’s coffee craze, folks. So next time you’re sippin’ on your latte, remember that you’re part of something big. Like, really big. Cheers to coffee and all its caffeinated glory!
