By Wang Wenzheng Source: People’s Daily<\/p>\n
What would it be like when a post office turns into a coffee place?<\/p>\n
In June this year, post provider China Post opened its first Post Coffee campus store in Southeast University, east China\u2019s Jiangsu province. It soon became a photogenic spot for social media.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe coffee\u2019s great here, and so is the decoration,\u201d said Li Wendong, a doctoral student of the university. He said the \u201ccrossover\u201d cafe is interesting and students need such a place on campus where they can alleviate their pressure.<\/p>\n
Post Coffee is only a miniature of \u201ccrossover\u201d cafes. In China today, coffee shops are seen everywhere, such as gas stations, and even pharmacies. Many renowned enterprises have set foot in the coffee industry.<\/p>\n
According to statistics, China is home to nearly 160,000 coffee-related enterprises, with an average of 20,000 emerging on an annual basis in the past five years. As of May 1 this year, a total of 117,300 coffee shops were operational across the country, and the number kept increasing despite impacts from COVID-19.<\/p>\n
The involvement of renowned enterprises in the coffee industry mirrors the huge attractiveness of the Chinese coffee consumption market, which is like a tempting big cake.<\/p>\n
Statistics indicate that the value of the Chinese coffee market was around 381.7 billion yuan ($56.53 billion) in 2021, and is expected to keep an annual growth of 20 percent in the next five years, which is way higher than the global average of 2 percent. The market value will be likely to hit 1 trillion yuan in 2025.<\/p>\n
In recent years, coffee consumption has gradually grown into a habit among Chinese consumers. The group of coffee lovers with high consuming intention and brand loyalty is constantly expanding, represented by the middle- and high-income earners in urban areas.<\/p>\n
Millennial Han Xiao is quite a fan of coffee who knows all the differences between coffee drinks, such as espresso, latte, mocha and cappuccino. For her, drinking coffee is not only for refreshing, but also a lifestyle.<\/p>\n
\u201cA coffee shop should be available within five minutes of walk from everywhere. Coffee shops are the \u2018third space\u2019 for me following home and office,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In addition, Chinese consumers\u2019 demand for premium coffee products, such as fresh coffee, is rising rapidly as the group of middle-income earners expands.<\/p>\n
Last year, China imported 122,700 tons of coffee beans, 74 percent more from a year ago. In particular, the import of raw coffee beans surged 87 percent to 106,000 tons, accounting for 86 percent of the total import.<\/p>\n
Insiders estimate that China currently has a coffee consumer group of more than 300 million people.<\/p>\n
Young consumers from both first-tier cities and lower-tier ones are shaping a consumption habit for fresh coffee. Many of them are fans of premium coffee beans and freshly-ground coffee, and want a fancy consumption environment. They even have purchased exquisite coffee ware and powerful coffee machines.<\/p>\n
For instance, the sales of coffee machines on Tmall, an online retail platform under Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, recorded growth for six months in a row in the first half of this year. The highest year-on-year growth exceeded 200 percent.<\/p>\n
Last year, the per capita consumption of fresh coffee among adult consumers in Chinese mainland stood at 1.6 cups, and the figure among young consumers in first- and second-tier cities was 3.8. The market enjoys a huge potential though there\u2019s still a gap between itself and mature markets in the U.S. and Europe. Bright prospects await the emerging business as coffee products are seeping into the daily life of the Chinese people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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