中国的咖啡消费量每年增长了15％

New data shows that coffee consumption in China is growing seven times faster than the global average, boosting business for coffee companies, big and small.

According to the China Coffee Association Beijing, China’s coffee consumption is growing by 15 percent every year, compared to two percent globally.

"When I drink coffee, I prefer it a little sweeter. I’m not willing to drink strong flavors," said a salesman.

"Every day. I drink it every day. I make it at home, and I like going out to cafes to try different kinds of coffee too. I try them all," said a civil servant.

"We source all our coffee beans from overseas and roast them ourselves. Our customers are people who appreciate very high-quality coffee. They’re mostly in their mid twenties to mid forties. Since opening, we have seen speciality coffee is a new trend. I believe we are the only cafe like this in Beijing," said Sheri Zhang, founder of Soloist Coffee Company.

While increasingly popular, coffee is still far from mainstream in China.

Chinese consumers do not drink that much coffee yet. According to Nestle, an average of only about five cups a year per person. That is compared to 300 cups a year in Japan. But they are catching up fast.

Growth in China is boosting sales at Nestle, now the market leader there.

Its high-end Nespresso range is quickly expanding in the country, driven by urbanization and tourism.

"We believe that Beijing and Shanghai still represents a huge opportunity, just in terms of households, with the potential to consume premium coffee,” said Alfonso Triosi, country manager of Nespresso, Mainland China.

“I think we’re talking about 1-2 million households, so that’s pretty big. For the out-of-home channel where we have hotels, restaurants, we are expanding outside of those cities, because that’s where the hotels and restaurants are actually growing, not only in major coastal cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, but also in cities like Sanya and some other holiday destinations, where actually Chinese like to try more coffee, because they have more time."
 
For now, coffee is still enjoyed by a select few in China. But as incomes continue to climb that is likely to change.