In 2025, people in Thailand spent about THB 65 billion on coffee. Almost half of that, around THB 30 billion, went to specialty coffee.¹
That tells you a lot about how Thai customers now drink coffee. They still want their daily cup, but more of them now choose where their beans come from, how the coffee is brewed, and who roasted it. Across Southeast Asia, the question is changing from “Where can I get coffee?” to “Which coffee do I want?”
For café owners, hotel F&B teams, and roasters, this change brings both an opportunity and more pressure.
A Region That Is Drinking More, and Drinking Better
Coffee has become a daily habit across Southeast Asia, and demand keeps rising.
In Thailand, the average person now drinks more than 340 cups of coffee a year, up from about 180.² Indonesia’s coffee consumption has tripled since before the pandemic, and it is now one of the largest coffee-drinking countries in the world.³ Vietnam has an estimated 500,000 cafés, from big chains to small street stalls.⁴
Café numbers are growing too. World Coffee Portal’s 2026 research shows that Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines all had double-digit growth in branded coffee shop outlets over the past year.⁵
What stands out is how much of that growth is in higher-value coffee. Thailand’s specialty segment is growing by about 10–15% a year, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand.¹ The market is getting bigger, and customers are also moving up to better coffee.
What’s Driving the Shift
Customers want to know what they are drinking
Younger customers in the region grew up with coffee culture. Many know the difference between a washed and a natural process, or between a light and a dark roast. They look for origin stories, tasting notes, and a barista who can explain the cup.
For these customers, a café visit is about more than caffeine. They are paying for the experience, the quality, and the story behind the cup.
New cafés keep opening
Opening a café is still attractive to new business owners. In the first half of 2025, 415 new coffee businesses registered in Thailand, up almost 9% year on year. More than a third of them are in Bangkok.² With this much competition, quality and a clear identity are what help a café get noticed.
Coffee prices have forced a rethink
Green coffee has become much more expensive. The International Coffee Organization’s composite price reached a monthly average of more than 354 US cents per pound in February 2025. In calendar year 2025, Arabica prices rose again while Robusta prices fell by 16.7%.⁷
Thailand’s coffee imports also rose sharply, reaching USD 744 million in 2025, up almost 59% from the year before.¹
When raw material costs rise this fast, competing on price becomes harder. Many operators are going the other way. They are raising quality, telling a clearer story, and charging for that value.
Two Models, Growing Side by Side
Premiumisation does not mean every café is becoming a high-end coffee bar. Across the region, two models are growing at the same time.
The first is the fast, affordable chain. In Indonesia, Kopi Kenangan grew to about 900 stores by early 2025,³ built on quick service and local flavours like kopi susu. In Vietnam, most customers still pay between VND 41,000 and 71,000 (about USD 1.60–2.80) per cup.⁴
The second is the specialty café, which sells fewer cups but earns more from each one. These cafés offer single origins, careful brewing, and knowledgeable staff.
Many businesses now borrow from both models. Chains are adding premium single-origin options. Specialty cafés are building faster service and grab-and-go menus. The most successful operators understand who their customer is and design their café around that.
What This Means for Your Business
If you run a café, hotel outlet, or restaurant with a coffee programme, here are some practical steps to consider.
- Know your origin story. Customers want to know where the coffee comes from. Work with roasters or farms that can share clear information on origin, process, and variety. Local beans can be a strong starting point.
- Invest in consistency. A premium price needs a cup that tastes the same every time. Good grinders, reliable espresso machines, and proper water filtration protect quality, even when you have new staff.
- Train your team. A barista who can explain a coffee in two sentences adds real value. Staff training is often the cheapest way to lift the customer experience.
- Build a tiered menu. Keep a well-priced house coffee and add a small premium range for customers who want to explore. This helps you serve both types of customer.
- Review your costs regularly. Green coffee prices can move quickly. Check your recipes, cup sizes, and pricing often so rising costs do not eat into your margins.
- Consider roasting in-house. For some businesses, a small roaster brings more control over quality and freshness. It can also add a bit of theatre that customers enjoy.
Discover the Future of Coffee at THAIFEX – HOREC Asia 2027
Moving to specialty coffee means making many decisions. You need to choose the right beans, equipment, and partners, and train the people who will serve the coffee.
At THAIFEX – HOREC Asia 2027, the Café & Bar segment brings these solutions together in one place. Visitors can explore coffee beans, specialty tea, espresso machines, grinders, brewing and roasting equipment, water treatment systems, milk alternatives, and syrups. You can taste products, compare equipment side by side, and talk directly with suppliers.
The ASEAN Barista Team Championship shows the regional barista talent behind this movement. The THAIFEX – HOREC Academy & Workshop programme shares practical knowledge you can take back to your business.
For cafés planning new outlets or upgrades, the Furnishing and Tech segments add the design and digital tools that shape the full customer experience.
The event takes place from 2 to 5 March 2027 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok.
Book your booth or your visitor pass at www.thaifex-horec.asia
References
- The Nation Thailand. Thailand’s THB65 billion coffee market moves towards sustainability. 2026. Data from the Department of Business Development, the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand, and the Trade Policy and Strategy Office. Link
- Perfect Daily Grind. Homegrown coffee is fuelling Thailand’s specialty boom. 2026. Data from the Ministry of Commerce. Link
- Perfect Daily Grind. Indonesia’s specialty coffee market is thriving. 2026. Link
- Vietnam Briefing. Vietnam Coffee Market: Consumers, Challenges, and Prospects. 2025. Link
- World Coffee Portal. East Asia’s branded coffee shop market is booming (Project Café East Asia 2026). 2026. Link
- International Coffee Organization. Coffee Market Report, December 2025. 2025. Link
by Chanya Colevas
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In 2025, people in Thailand spent about THB 65 billion on coffee. Almost half of that, around THB 30 billion, went to specialty coffee.¹
That tells you a lot about how Thai customers now drink coffee. They still want their daily cup, but more of them now choose where their beans come from, how the coffee is brewed, and who roasted it. Across Southeast Asia, the question is changing from “Where can I get coffee?” to “Which coffee do I want?”
For café owners, hotel F&B teams, and roasters, this change brings both an opportunity and more pressure.
A Region That Is Drinking More, and Drinking Better
Coffee has become a daily habit across Southeast Asia, and demand keeps rising.
In Thailand, the average person now drinks more than 340 cups of coffee a year, up from about 180.² Indonesia’s coffee consumption has tripled since before the pandemic, and it is now one of the largest coffee-drinking countries in the world.³ Vietnam has an estimated 500,000 cafés, from big chains to small street stalls.⁴
Café numbers are growing too. World Coffee Portal’s 2026 research shows that Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines all had double-digit growth in branded coffee shop outlets over the past year.⁵
What stands out is how much of that growth is in higher-value coffee. Thailand’s specialty segment is growing by about 10–15% a year, according to the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand.¹ The market is getting bigger, and customers are also moving up to better coffee.
What’s Driving the Shift
Customers want to know what they are drinking
Younger customers in the region grew up with coffee culture. Many know the difference between a washed and a natural process, or between a light and a dark roast. They look for origin stories, tasting notes, and a barista who can explain the cup.
For these customers, a café visit is about more than caffeine. They are paying for the experience, the quality, and the story behind the cup.
New cafés keep opening
Opening a café is still attractive to new business owners. In the first half of 2025, 415 new coffee businesses registered in Thailand, up almost 9% year on year. More than a third of them are in Bangkok.² With this much competition, quality and a clear identity are what help a café get noticed.
Coffee prices have forced a rethink
Green coffee has become much more expensive. The International Coffee Organization’s composite price reached a monthly average of more than 354 US cents per pound in February 2025. In calendar year 2025, Arabica prices rose again while Robusta prices fell by 16.7%.⁷
Thailand’s coffee imports also rose sharply, reaching USD 744 million in 2025, up almost 59% from the year before.¹
When raw material costs rise this fast, competing on price becomes harder. Many operators are going the other way. They are raising quality, telling a clearer story, and charging for that value.
Two Models, Growing Side by Side
Premiumisation does not mean every café is becoming a high-end coffee bar. Across the region, two models are growing at the same time.
The first is the fast, affordable chain. In Indonesia, Kopi Kenangan grew to about 900 stores by early 2025,³ built on quick service and local flavours like kopi susu. In Vietnam, most customers still pay between VND 41,000 and 71,000 (about USD 1.60–2.80) per cup.⁴
The second is the specialty café, which sells fewer cups but earns more from each one. These cafés offer single origins, careful brewing, and knowledgeable staff.
Many businesses now borrow from both models. Chains are adding premium single-origin options. Specialty cafés are building faster service and grab-and-go menus. The most successful operators understand who their customer is and design their café around that.
What This Means for Your Business
If you run a café, hotel outlet, or restaurant with a coffee programme, here are some practical steps to consider.
- Know your origin story. Customers want to know where the coffee comes from. Work with roasters or farms that can share clear information on origin, process, and variety. Local beans can be a strong starting point.
- Invest in consistency. A premium price needs a cup that tastes the same every time. Good grinders, reliable espresso machines, and proper water filtration protect quality, even when you have new staff.
- Train your team. A barista who can explain a coffee in two sentences adds real value. Staff training is often the cheapest way to lift the customer experience.
- Build a tiered menu. Keep a well-priced house coffee and add a small premium range for customers who want to explore. This helps you serve both types of customer.
- Review your costs regularly. Green coffee prices can move quickly. Check your recipes, cup sizes, and pricing often so rising costs do not eat into your margins.
- Consider roasting in-house. For some businesses, a small roaster brings more control over quality and freshness. It can also add a bit of theatre that customers enjoy.
Discover the Future of Coffee at THAIFEX – HOREC Asia 2027
Moving to specialty coffee means making many decisions. You need to choose the right beans, equipment, and partners, and train the people who will serve the coffee.
At THAIFEX – HOREC Asia 2027, the Café & Bar segment brings these solutions together in one place. Visitors can explore coffee beans, specialty tea, espresso machines, grinders, brewing and roasting equipment, water treatment systems, milk alternatives, and syrups. You can taste products, compare equipment side by side, and talk directly with suppliers.
The ASEAN Barista Team Championship shows the regional barista talent behind this movement. The THAIFEX – HOREC Academy & Workshop programme shares practical knowledge you can take back to your business.
For cafés planning new outlets or upgrades, the Furnishing and Tech segments add the design and digital tools that shape the full customer experience.
The event takes place from 2 to 5 March 2027 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok.
Book your booth or your visitor pass at www.thaifex-horec.asia
References
- The Nation Thailand. Thailand’s THB65 billion coffee market moves towards sustainability. 2026. Data from the Department of Business Development, the Specialty Coffee Association of Thailand, and the Trade Policy and Strategy Office. Link
- Perfect Daily Grind. Homegrown coffee is fuelling Thailand’s specialty boom. 2026. Data from the Ministry of Commerce. Link
- Perfect Daily Grind. Indonesia’s specialty coffee market is thriving. 2026. Link
- Vietnam Briefing. Vietnam Coffee Market: Consumers, Challenges, and Prospects. 2025. Link
- World Coffee Portal. East Asia’s branded coffee shop market is booming (Project Café East Asia 2026). 2026. Link
- International Coffee Organization. Coffee Market Report, December 2025. 2025. Link
