Why Starbucks conquered South Korea — but not Vietnam

HANOI, Vietnam — On nearly every street, there is a cafe. People sit on low plastic stools, sipping coffee and passing the time. Motorcycle riders pull over at the side of the road for a quick coffee break. Here, even the world’s largest coffee company, Nestle, and Starbucks — the emblem of American coffee culture — struggle to assert their presence. This is Vietnam. The country is the world’s second-largest coffee producer. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Brazil accounts for about 39 percent of global output, followed by Vietnam at 17 percent. As of 2023, Vietnam’s coffee-growing area totaled roughly 715,800 hectares (2,764 square miles), larger than South Korea’s entire rice-growing area. The country produces about 1.8 million tons of coffee annually. Of those 1.8 million tons, robusta beans account for around 95 percent. Alongside Brazil’s arabica, it is one of the most widely produced coffee beans globally and is commonly used in instant coffee due to its strong bitterness. The roots of Vietnamese coffee trace back to the French colonial era.Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times