CCTV: Sales of Domestic Coffee Machines Soar!

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

The Rise of Home Coffee Brewing in China

A combination of factors — the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-driven declines in coffee bean production, and rising bean prices — has changed how Chinese consumers get their caffeine. Where a cup of coffee once meant a trip to a cafe or restaurant, a growing number of people now choose to brew at home.

Attitudes toward coffee consumption are shifting as well. More Chinese consumers are paying attention to taste, price, and convenience, and this personalization trend has turned the coffee machine into a common household appliance for many families — fertile ground for the domestic coffee machine market to grow.

Booming Domestic Coffee Machine Market

According to recent CCTV Financial reports, coffee machine sales have climbed sharply this year, with domestically produced machines performing especially well. Data shows that in 2022, coffee machine sales grew for six consecutive months, with the highest year-on-year growth rate exceeding 200%. Domestic machines are not only popular at home — their share of the international market is also expanding. A surge in export orders has pushed many manufacturers into full-capacity production.

At a coffee machine manufacturer in Ningbo, Zhejiang, a spike in European orders has forced the company to hire extra staff and run overtime to keep up. Figures from Cixi Customs show that from January to September this year, Cixi exported coffee machines worth 330 million RMB, up 31.5% year on year, with the European Union, the United States, and Brazil as the main destinations. The company's marketing manager told reporters that exports in the first three quarters totaled 450,000 units, a 65% year-on-year increase.

Quality and Affordability Drive Adoption

Today's domestic coffee machines are smarter than before, with adjustable temperature, pressure, and flow rate. Their rising popularity has even prompted some professional coffee shops to switch over. Wang Penghui, manager of a Beijing coffee shop, put it this way: "Imported machines of the same level cost about 100,000 RMB, while domestic brands come in at 50,000 to 60,000 RMB — and the newer models are more feature-rich."

In one Beijing specialty store, there are fifty to sixty coffee machine models on offer, two-thirds of them domestic. The biggest selling point is value for money: this year, the store's domestic machine sales nearly doubled compared with last year. When reporters visited, shoppers browsing the shelves included not just individual buyers but also company representatives purchasing coffee machines and other small appliances for their offices.

Office and Home Markets Expand

Coffee machines aren't just a household trend — they are steadily becoming standard office equipment as well. Retailers say semi-automatic and grind-and-brew machines sold best this year, with mid-to-high-end domestic machines priced between 3,000 and 5,000 RMB the clear consumer favorite.

Future Growth Prospects

According to the "2020-2025 China Coffee Industry Market Demand and Investment Planning Analysis Report" released by the Forward Industry Research Institute, annual per capita coffee consumption stands at 449 cups per year, and China's coffee consumption is growing at an average annual rate of 15% — far outpacing the global average of 2%. By 2025, China's coffee market is expected to reach 217.1 billion RMB.

Against that backdrop, the growth potential of China's household coffee machine market is obvious, with fully automatic and capsule machines expanding fastest. Many seasoned coffee drinkers, it turns out, are perfectly happy to set aside a corner of the kitchen for a fully automatic machine.

As Chinese consumers' affection for coffee deepens and the desire to enjoy a cup anytime grows stronger, the domestic coffee machine market is truly taking off.

Image source: Internet

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you've just bought a home coffee machine, pairing it with the right beans matters as much as the machine itself. FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon, from the country's top producing region, is a classic entry-level single origin: soft-bodied, gently acidic, and sweet, with notes of cream, peanut, and cocoa in the cup. It shines as an americano and pairs beautifully with milk.

Prefer something bolder without the bitterness? FrontStreet's Indonesian Mandheling is wet-hulled, giving it a full, smooth body with herbal and spice undertones — a great match for those who dislike acidity. And if you want a taste of China's own coffee, FrontStreet Yunnan Arabica from Baoshan offers soft, balanced notes of nuts and chocolate, making it an easy everyday favorite.