According to the statistics of the Korea Economic Research Institute in 2019 , the average coffee consumption per capita of Korea in 2019 reached 2.3kg/person/year, equivalent to an average of 350 cups of coffee per year. This consumption rate was 2.7 times greater than the world's per capita consumption (132 cups).

According to the statistics of the Korea Economic Research Institute in 2019[1], the average coffee consumption per capita of Korea in 2019 reached 2.3kg/person/year, equivalent to an average of 350 cups of coffee per year. This consumption rate was 2.7 times greater than the world's per capita consumption (132 cups). In 2021, Korea had over 77,500 coffee shops[2], a significant increase from more than 2,000 in 2007. However, the growth in quantity is slowing down due to the increasingly fierce competition among large coffee chains as well as difficulties brought about by sudden escalations in operating costs because of the recent increase in minimum wages. Companies are trying to differentiate their products by opening high-end coffee shops or unique themed cafes instead of expanding the number of stores.

Ready-to-drink coffee products (RTDs), available at supermarkets, convenience stores, etc. are becoming more and more popular because of their convenience, high quality and affordable prices. The RTD coffee market in 2021 reached 1.4 billion USD in size, up by 55.5% compared to 900 million USD in 2015. Korean consumers, especially office workers, often use RTD coffee products instead of experiencing those made from beans at cafés. Beverage manufacturers, food processors and retailers have been launching a wide range of high-quality products. Moreover, convenience stores have developed private label products with low prices by processing and importing RTD coffee products from abroad. It is forecasted that sales of RTD products will continue to increase because of their competitive prices and market accessibility.

Regarding importation, Korea mainly imports coffee beans (including fresh and roasted beans) and different types of instant coffee. The size of the Korean coffee market in 2021 reached over 1 billion USD, increasing by an average of 5% annually since 2015. Vietnam is the 6th country in terms of coffee exportation to Korea after Switzerland, Colombia, Brazil, the United States, and Ethiopia, with a turnover of 74.3 million USD in 2021, an increase of 16.1% compared to 2020[3]. Especially, Vietnam is one of three countries with a large instant coffee export market in Korea, with a turnover of 12.1 million USD within the total of 105.5 million USD of imports into Korea, after Germany and the United States.

Status of Korean coffee products importation

(HS Code: 0901 and 2101.11) - (Unit: 1,000 USD / %)