Korea has been bitten by the coffee bug

According to recent news reports, Korea is rapidly becoming something of a coffee-loving nation. What gives rise to this comment? Apparently, the Korea International Trade Association has recently revealed figures which suggest that the country is importing increasing quantities of the product and that this is sending out a very clear coffee message.

According to reports, Korea amounted to a staggering $508 million from January to October this year. This is an astonishing amount, especially when put into context: last year, the country imported $307 million throughout the whole of 2010. Last year, too, was a significant rise on previous years – in 2005 the figure was $140 million and over $200 million in 2007. Korea is now the eleventh biggest coffee market. Again, to quote figures which have been reported, individuals consume on average 350-400 cups of coffee each year.

As one would expect, given these amazing statistics, there is also a rise in the number of coffee shops in the country to service the growing demand for coffee. Nielsen Korea has been quoted as estimating that there are just over 50% more coffee shops now, compared with 2008.

Another observation about the Korean coffee market is that, with increasing imports, so the nation’s tastes in coffee are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Instant coffee sales are down, whereas South American Arabica coffee is more in demand.

It seems that the world’s love of coffee is spreading from culture to culture, country to country… watch this space!

From: worldcoffeenews.com