China’s coffee market opens new path for Thai fruit exporters
China’s fast-growing coffee chains are reshaping competition through speed, pricing and digital platforms, creating openings for Thai fruit ingredients.
- China's coffee market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by the expansion of local chains like Luckin Coffee and Cotti Coffee, creating a large demand for beverage ingredients.
- Chinese coffee brands are innovating with seasonal menus, particularly fruit-blended coffees and drinks using coconut milk, to attract younger consumers.
- This trend creates a new opportunity for Thai exporters to supply tropical fruit ingredients, such as durian and coconut, which are already popular with Chinese consumers.
- Thai businesses can export these fruits as value-added products like purées or frozen flesh, specifically for use in China's expanding coffee and lifestyle drink industry.
The global coffee market has been growing strongly, and Thailand is no exception.
Coffee shops can now be found almost everywhere, from major chains and global brands to a rising number of Thai players, including speciality coffee operators and small SME outlets.
But as the number of shops increases, competition has become tougher, especially on pricing and promotions.
The question is: which brand will consumers ultimately choose
In China, coffee consumption has risen steadily in recent years, driving continuous growth in the country’s coffee market across both instant coffee and ready-to-drink products.
This has stimulated the expansion of the local coffee industry and opened the way for innovations in coffee production and services that meet the needs of modern Chinese consumers.
Coffee prices in China have also continued to rise.
According to data from the Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP), this has been driven by external factors, particularly higher global coffee prices, as well as domestic factors, especially stronger demand in China’s internal market.
China needs to import large volumes of coffee products from overseas every year.
Between 2015 and 2025, China’s coffee imports rose from 59,100 tonnes to 230,700 tonnes, an increase of 171,600 tonnes, or around 290.02%, with average annual growth of 14.58%.
Data also shows that China’s coffee market has changed sharply.
While foreign brands once dominated the premium image of the sector, local players have now moved ahead by combining “speed, price and digital platforms”.
Their rapid branch expansion has allowed domestic brands to occupy almost all places in the top 10.
The market leader is Luckin Coffee, from Xiamen, with more than 25,000 branches, far ahead of its competitors.
Cotti Coffee, a newer player from Beijing, has also surged to second place within only a few years, showing that competition is no longer measured only by brand power, but also by the speed of expansion.
Top 10 coffee brands in China by number of branches in 2025:
- Luckin Coffee: 25,266 branches, founded in 2017
- Cotti Coffee: 14,337 branches, founded in 2022
- Starbucks: 7,798 branches, founded in 1971
- Lucky Cup: 4,793 branches, founded in 2017
- NOWWA: 2,407 branches, founded in 2019
- Manner: 1,969 branches, founded in 2015
- K Coffee: 1,580 branches, founded in 2015
- Tim Hortons: 868 branches, founded in 1964
- M Stand: 556 branches, founded in 2017
- Pull-Tab: 513 branches, founded in 2022
As for domestic-brand market share, these players are now expanding rapidly by focusing mainly on digital marketing strategies and accessible pricing.
In terms of branch numbers, Luckin Coffee is the market leader with more than 25,000 outlets and revenue growth of around 43% per year.
It is followed by Cotti Coffee, which was founded only in 2022 but has quickly expanded to more than 14,000 branches.
Starbucks remains the largest foreign coffee brand in China, with around 7,800 branches.
Other Chinese brands, although smaller in branch numbers, have continued to grow in major cities by focusing on premium-grade coffee aimed at middle- to upper-income consumers.
Overall, China’s coffee market continues to expand, reflecting changing behaviour among younger consumers, who are drinking more coffee and are open to brands across all levels, from budget-friendly to premium.
The Thai Trade Centre in Xiamen said China’s coffee industry shows how digital platforms, fully integrated logistics systems and the growing consumer trend for coffee drinks have enabled brands to expand and develop products quickly in line with market demand.
Seasonal menu development has also helped brands generate online buzz.
Examples include fruit-blended coffee and tea-blended coffee, which have helped expand the coffee market from traditional beverages into a more diverse lifestyle-drink category.
Coconut milk is also being used as an alternative ingredient for consumers who do not drink cow’s milk, creating a potential opportunity for Thai entrepreneurs to become part of this supply chain.
Thai businesses could offer tropical fruit ingredients for use in these coffee drinks, especially fruits already popular among Chinese consumers, such as durian and coconut.
These could be exported as purée or chilled and frozen fruit flesh for use as beverage ingredients, creating another way to add value to grade-B fruit.
