Coffee sales were expected to exceed NT$40 billion (US$1.22 billion) in Taiwan for a second consecutive year in 2024, reflecting the growing thirst for coffee in Taiwan and the lifestyle it represents.
Taiwan’s coffee shops, coffee retailers, and wholesalers generated a combined NT$37.67 billion in sales in the first 11 months of 2024, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) reported Friday, and it expected sales to exceed NT$40 billion for a second straight year once the December figures were in.
It was unclear, however, if 2024 sales will reach the record NT$42.99 billion in sales set in 2023, but breaching the NT$40 billion mark again only confirmed the upward trend in Taiwan’s love for coffee since 2018.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan High Speed Rail
Between 2018 and November 2024, the number of coffee shops ballooned by 42.5 percent, or 6 percent a year on average, to 4,824 in Taiwan, according to data in a report released by the MOF on Friday.
And that does not take into account the thousands of convenience stores, supermarkets, and gas stations that are also serving fresh coffee to feed burgeoning local demand, the ministry said.
The growth in outlets offering coffee helped drive the 36 percent growth in annual coffee sales from NT$31.54 billion in 2018 to NT$42.97 billion in 2023.
Coffee shops alone have accounted for over half of the sales since 2018, hitting NT$24.59 billion in 2023 and NT $21.83 billion between January and November in 2024, MOF data showed.
Most of Taiwan’s coffee is imported, largely in the form of coffee beans, with a record high 52,600 metric tons of coffee beans and products imported by Taiwan in 2024.
In recent years, raw beans have accounted for 71 percent of imports in recent years, followed by other coffee products at 16.3 percent and roasted coffee at 12.6 percent, the ministry reported.
Taiwan has produced around 950 metric tons of coffee beans a year in recent years, following a record high of 1,109 metric tons in 2018, thanks to growing demand for quality coffee and the rapid expansion of gourmet coffee outlets, the ministry reported.
Pingtung, Nantou, Taitung, and Chiayi counties have been the main production areas in Taiwan, according to the report.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS