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.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday bestowed one of Taiwan’s highest honors on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her contributions to bilateral ties. “By conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Ambassador Bowman today, I want to sincerely thank her, on behalf of the Taiwanese people, for her outstanding contribution to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and SVG,” Lai said at a ceremony held at the Presidential Office in Taipei. He noted that Bowman became SVG’s first ambassador to Taiwan in 2019 and
RSS