Asia: Coffee conquers tea

Colombia's flagship chain, Juan Valdez, has been a leader in expansion, with plans to open 30 new coffeehouses in Florida over the next five years, and 30 in Peru by 2015.

Juan Valdez at the end of last year had 250 stores, mostly in Colombia, but including 72 in the United States, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, Chile, Peru and Spain.

Owned by a collective of growers, the company grows and roasts Colombian coffee, which is a major part of the menu in its coffeehouses.

Juan Valdez also sells coffee worldwide to leading chains and wholesalers.

Colombian soluble-coffee producer Buencafé has started to sell its products in markets, which previously were remote for most Latin American producers, including Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia, Ukraine and Saudi Arabia.

Buencafé is now in 60 countries in five continents.

Two Panamanian coffee growing estates last year likewise entered the South Korean market.

Diamond Mountain Estate has an alliance with Artesee Coffee Shop.

After participating at the Seoul International Coffee Show 2013, Finca Lérida attracted investors from South Korea and Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the Salvadoran Coffee Council last month hosted a group of Taiwanese importers.