To the Top of Success With the Perfect Topping

An overview: coffee consumption around the globe

Driving business with the hot, black beverage is in high demand: The German online statistics portal STATISTA speaks of coffee as the most often consumed hot drink worldwide. 42.6 liters (11.3 gallons) per person and year are consumed. Leading in the worldwide coffee consumption is the European continent followed closely by Asia and Oceania. While consumption in Europe has declined compared to ten years ago, the growth rate in the Asian market is at almost three percent (Europe in comparison: 1.3 percent). (German source: Tchibo coffee report 2019)

Even though China’s coffee consumption is small compared to industrialized countries in the West, it is growing strongly. Being one of the most densely populated countries in the world, China offers coffee machine manufacturers great potential to enter a new market.

KNF pumps produce creamy milk foam

KNF customers have also recognized this trend and successfully entered the market. With their success they rely on the KNF micro diaphragm pump NMP 830 or micro piston pump NPK 03. Supplying air, the compressors transform milk into tasty milk foam. Depending on the machine’s settings, the pump supplies a variable amount of compressed air and thus influences the consistency of the milk foam. From airy to creamy, there is the perfect milk foam for every customer; a decisive sales factor when you look at the Chinese market. Thanks to their tasty creamy texture, latte and cappuccino are considered the perfect starter drinks for coffee novices. It is not without reason these beverages lead the Chinese out-of-home coffee sector as the most popular coffee drinks, with 54 percent (latte) and 52 percent (cappuccino). (German source: Mintel)

Digital purchasing services increase demands on fully automatic coffee machines

Swiss coffee machine manufacturers have the lead in fully automatic coffee machines in China. The sophisticated machines are particularly suitable for a growing trend in the Chinese coffee sector: coffee purchases by mobile app. Customers place their orders via a mobile phone app, which instantly forwards them to a coffee machine at the coffee house. The machine is then instructed to prepare the desired beverage. A motorcycle courier delivers the order to the customers. In this business model, the quality of the milk foam plays a particularly important role as it must keep its shape and consistency until it is delivered to the customer. Neither barista nor coffee house atmosphere contributes to customer loyalty. Only the service and the quality of the product itself can win the customer’s trust.

KNF pumps guarantee high-quality milk foam that visually reflects the quality of the coffee products prepared. In addition, the long service life of KNF pumps allows them to be used to full capacity in continuous operation. In this way, coffee suppliers can always meet their customers’ demands reliably, even when order volumes are high.

A promising future

The peak of the out-of-home coffee sector is far from being reached as, according to Forbes Magazine, Starbucks plans to open a new store in China every 15 hours until 2022. (Source: forbes.com) And Starbucks is not the only one to see potential in the growing coffee consumption of the Chinese. Other coffee chains also want to establish themselves in the market. This increase is an interesting development for KNF as a diaphragm pump manufacturer and our customers in the coffee sector. In order to keep up with the rapid growth in the market, coffee stores are forced to minimize their operating costs. The trend in China is therefore mainly towards less staff and more digital services. As a result, the demand for fast and smart coffee machines and reliable pump components can be expected to continuously grow in the near future.

If you would like to learn more about our KNF products or have a question concerning a specific application, get in contact with us.

FACTS & FIGURES

Worldwide coffee consumption:

• Worldwide coffee consumption per person a year: 42.6 litres 
• Growth rate of coffee consumption in Asia (2019): 2.8% 
• Growth rate of coffee consumption in Europe (2019): 1.3% 

Coffee consumption in China

• Most popular drinks consumed at coffee shops/cafés in China:
  • Latte Macchiato: 54%      Cappuccino: 52%  
• Starbucks opens a new store every 15 hours until 2022 in China