Korea’s coffee imports exceed $500 million mark

Korea’s coffee imports topped the $500 million mark this year, driven by the growing popularity of the drink among local consumers, a local trade association said yesterday. Korea imported coffee worth $508 million in the first 10 months of the year, already surpassing last year’s imports worth $307 million in total, according to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).

Increased coffee imports were attributed to more demand for diverse brands and high-end coffee products among Korean consumers. Growing popularity of instant coffee products also led to a spike in imports of coffee materials, the association said.

The country’s coffee imports topped the $300 million mark for the first time last year, after reaching the $100 million level in 2000. Coffee imports from Brazil reached $100 million in the January-October period, followed by Colombia with $91 million and Vietnam with $71 million, KITA said.

Yonhap