USDA identifies Taiwan as the main coffee export market in the United States

the United States Department of Agriculture Department of Agriculture (FAS) has identified Taiwan as a key and growing strategic market for US coffee exports.

The report released earlier this month describes the exponential growth and sustained potential of the Taiwanese market, particularly in the premium roast specialty coffee segment, and for Hawaiian coffee.

Taiwan is currently the eighth largest market for food and agriculture exports from the United States, although it occupies an island about the size of Connecticut.

The most recent estimate of International Coffee Organization (ICO) suggests that Taiwan’s 23 million people drank around 2.85 billion cups of coffee last year. Meanwhile, the FAS report estimates the Taiwanese consumer coffee market at around US $ 2.76 billion in 2020, with an annual growth rate of 20%.

While convenience stores and several large chains remain the main suppliers of coffee in Taiwan, the report suggests that more diverse coffee offerings in the market have created a thirst for differentiated and premium coffees.

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According to the report, Taiwan imported $ 263 million worth of coffee from the United States in 2020, split almost evenly between roasted coffee products and unroasted green coffee. This marked an 11% growth rate in US coffee exports to Taiwan from the previous year. The United States continues to be the top exporter of roasted coffee beans to the Taiwanese market – occupying about 30% of that share in 2020 – followed by Malaysia, Japan, Vietnam and Italy.

According to the FAS report, Taiwan maintains a strong interest in unroasted and unroasted Hawaiian coffee.

“Taiwanese importers and coffee house owners have expressed great interest in purchasing quality American coffee beans, especially Kona coffee beans from Hawaii,” the report said. “Additionally, American roast coffees have gradually gained in popularity recently and Taiwanese importers are always keen to introduce more varieties of Hawaiian coffees.”

FAS report precedes 2021 Taiwan International Coffee Fair, which takes place at the Nangang Exhibition Center, east of Taipei. The show will also host the 2021 World Coffee Roasting Championship, World coffee championship in good spirits and Latte Art World Championship – all of which are taking place in Taiwan for the first time.