Coffee Imports to Set New High

Coffee imports are expected to hit a new high this year as well, as coffee chains keep growing.

Ediya, which opened its first outlet near Chungang University in Seoul in 2001, now operates over 1,300 chains across the country as of this year, while Caffé Bene increased the number of its outlets to about 800 in four years since it started business in January 2008.

For the first nine months of this year, coffee imports reached 99,372 tons, surpassing the 92,040 tons over the same period in 2011. If the trend continues, this year's coffee imports are likely to surpass the previous record of 121,855 tons set last year.

Vietnamese Robusta was the most popular for the second straight year, followed by Arabica from South American countries such as Brazil, Colombia and Honduras.

An industry insider said coffee shops here prefer Arabica to Robusta as the former has good aroma while the latter has a bitter taste.

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