ASEAN coffee trade grows 20%-30% per annum

KUALA LUMPUR: The coffee trade is growing between 20% and 30% per annum within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The International Trade and Industry Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria said the coffee trade was worth an approximate US$25 billion, which is a quarter of the global value of US$100 billion.

"Coffee is a global commodity and it is the second most traded commodity in the world after oil," she told reporters on the sidelines of the Cafe Malaysia 2015 exhibition.

The three-day event beginning today showcases over 70 exhibitors from 11 countries at one of the largest gatherings of tea and coffee industries in the region.

"What really strikes me on top of the potential growth of the market is the entrepreneurship level that comes with it," she said, adding that exhibitors were very upbeat of the market here and optimistic of expanding their business in the Klang Valley.

Jun Ho Kim, a South Korean entrepreneur who is also one of the exhibitors here, expects to set up his first cafe called the "Crazy Penguin" in Sunway Nexis on May 18. 

"I was studying here for a few years and I saw the business potential for snow-ice machines that we manufacture ourselves. We will introduce the machines through my cafe that makes 'bingsu' or Korean snow flakes desserts," he said.- Bernama