Thailand’s THB65 billion coffee market moves towards sustainability
Thai coffee is becoming a higher-value market as consumers favour quality and experience while businesses focus more on managing environmental impacts.
- Thailand's THB65 billion coffee market is shifting as consumers increasingly prioritize sustainability, quality, and experience over just the beverage itself.
- A major focus of this sustainability push is on waste management, with initiatives to reduce landfill waste from cups and repurpose used coffee grounds into soil conditioner and other products.
- Events like the ICONIC CRAFT COFFEE EXPO 2026 are actively promoting this trend by implementing circular economy principles, such as waste sorting stations and encouraging reusable cups through discounts.
- The growth of the specialty coffee sector, now worth THB30 billion, is a key driver of this move towards more sustainable and value-added practices throughout the supply chain.
Thailand’s THB65 billion coffee market is moving beyond the beverage business as consumers increasingly prioritise quality, experience and sustainability.
This shift is reflected in the coffee market’s growth in 2025 and the expansion of specialty coffee, while businesses are paying greater attention to reducing their environmental impact throughout the supply chain.
Figures from the Department of Business Development under the Ministry of Commerce show that Thailand’s coffee market was worth approximately THB65 billion in 2025, an increase of 8.33% from the previous year.
This is consistent with continued growth in consumption.
The Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand estimates that specialty coffee is worth approximately THB30 billion, accounting for about 46% of the Thai coffee market, with annual growth of around 10–15%.
The figures indicate that coffee is being elevated from an everyday beverage into a value-added product through quality, origin and the consumption experience.
As the market expands, sustainability has become another challenge for the industry, particularly the volume of waste generated by coffee consumption through cups, packaging and materials.
Addressing the issue requires participation from both businesses and consumers.
The issue forms one of the central pillars of ICONIC CRAFT COFFEE EXPO 2026, organised by ICONSIAM from September 16 to 20, 2026, at ICONSIAM HALL and SURALAI HALL on the seventh floor.
Under the “ICONSIAM GO GREEN” concept, the event aims to deliver more than a coffee-drinking experience by connecting consumption with resource and environmental management.
This year’s event is divided into six Coffee Districts, featuring more than 1,000 drink options from various locations.
Circular-economy principles have also been incorporated through the “ZERO Cup to Landfill” campaign, which aims to reduce the amount of used cups and materials sent to landfill.
A “RETURN STATION” inside the event allows visitors and participating outlets to sort used cups and materials by type before they are sent for appropriate processing.
Information showing the amount of waste separated and the reduction in carbon emissions is displayed in real time, allowing consumers to see tangible environmental results from their participation.
Beyond managing used cups, ICONSIAM is applying resource-efficiency principles to coffee grounds and food scraps.
These are processed into soil conditioner before being handed over to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Environment Department for use on trees in public parks.
Coffee grounds are also used to create environmental products, including plant pots made partly from waste and coffee grounds, soil conditioner and nitrogen fertiliser in liquid form.
The products are then given to visitors for further use.
The event is also seeking to shift consumer behaviour from “use and discard” to “reuse” through the Cups for Children activity.
The activity accepts reusable drinking cups in good condition for distribution to children and encourages visitors to bring their own cups to the event.
Those who do so receive a THB5 discount when buying drinks from participating outlets.
The “Coffee Painting” activity also uses coffee grounds to create artworks, reflecting the concept of adding value to leftover materials while offering consumers a new experience.
From a broader industry perspective, Thailand’s coffee trade figures also indicate opportunities to create additional value throughout the supply chain.
The Trade Policy and Strategy Office reported that Thailand imported coffee worth approximately US$744 million in 2025, an increase of 58.92% from the previous year.
Coffee exports were worth approximately US$178 million, up 10.19%.
The government views processing, technology and sustainable trade as important ways to raise the value of Thailand’s coffee industry.
Growth in the coffee business is therefore no longer measured solely by sales or the number of cups consumed.
It also encompasses the creation of value for coffee beans, communities and businesses, as well as the management of resources after consumption.
ICONIC CRAFT COFFEE EXPO 2026 provides another platform for putting these ideas into practice through activities ranging from cup reuse and waste sorting to returning coffee grounds to productive use.
ICONIC CRAFT COFFEE EXPO 2026 runs until Sunday (September 20, 2026) at ICONSIAM HALL and SURALAI HALL on the seventh floor of ICONSIAM.
