Coffeeholics

Winter, an American who has been on a personal mission to visit every Starbucks in the world, told he was surprised at the number of cafe in Seoul in an interview with SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System). As he said, it is estimated that there are over than 1,600 coffeehouses in Seoul. It is hard to work in the street without seeing the cafes.

Coffee was not so that a popular beverage. Before Starbucks coffee opening its first store in Korea in 1999, Dabang was a Korean primary cafe which serves coffee and tea. Its interior was the old fashion and main customers were the middle and old age.

(Source : Statics Korea)

The number of coffeehoues by brand

 (The number of 2011 is based on the planning

of the each brand) 

Starbucks coffee, however, changed the coffee culture of Korea totally. Its modern interior design attracted young people and it lead the boom of the coffee by providing a variety of coffees. The coffeehouses have become the places not only for tasting coffee but also for studying, meeting friends, and surfing internet. Free wireless internet is available in almost all of the cafes. In addition, all of the sits of Café Bene, the number one coffeehouse brand in Korea, have sockets for the laptops.

Many people think there are too many coffeehouses. But the coffeehouses are largely concentrated in Seoul and there is room for new ones in the other provinces. The popularity of the coffeehouses and growth of the coffee industry will not stop in the near future.