Why Did Grandma Han's Street Coffee Go Viral in Nanjing?

A small shop in Nanjing called Grandma Han's Sugarcane Juice became famous online for its 10-yuan pour-over coffee. Owner Auntie Han brews it on the spot using three sticks of Nescafe instant coffee, drawing long lines of young customers. Within 48 hours of going viral, Nescafe instant coffee sold out and boiling water ran short.

Auntie Han said the coffee business is low-profit but high-volume, and she has kept trading honestly for years. Nestle responded by changing its promotional cover to reference the shop and arranging free offline supplies, and it invited Auntie Han to join a livestream. Reports also noted some customers skipped payment during the rush.

A small shop in Nanjing called "Grandma Han's Sugarcane Juice" quickly became famous online for its 10-yuan pour-over coffee. The owner, Auntie Han, brews it on the spot using three sticks of Nescafé instant coffee, attracting large numbers of young people to queue up and check in. In less than 48 hours after going viral, Nescafé instant coffee sold out, and there was even a shortage of boiling water. Auntie Han said that although the coffee business is low-profit but high-volume, she has always done business honestly. As traffic poured in, the phenomenon of insincere customers skipping payment also drew attention. Nescafé officially responded quickly, not only changing the product promotional cover to "the same coffee as Nanjing's 10-yuan grandma," but also arranging free offline supply and inviting Auntie Han to participate in a livestream. Front Street Coffee continues to follow this event and bring readers the latest report.

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"As soon as the door opened, everyone came. I was so busy I never stopped. The day before, I sold until after 11 p.m. and didn't even have time to eat. I saw it and quickly closed the shop. I couldn't take it anymore."

Less than 48 hours after #Nanjing 10-yuan pour-over coffee# went viral, a reporter found the protagonist of the topic, "Grandma Han," based on the shop name in the video, "Grandma Han's Sugarcane Juice," and interviewed her.

Grandma Han said that demand for coffee at the shop has surged, Nescafé sold out directly, and sometimes there was even a shortage of boiling water. Normally the shop opens at 9 a.m., but these past few days, before the door even opened, people were already lining up outside. Auntie Han said, "These two days I've been selling more coffee. Today more than yesterday, yesterday more than the day before."

During the interview, the auntie also told reporters that her "main business" is actually selling sugarcane juice, and she can sell more than 1,000 jin a day. The shop has been operating for more than 30 years, and the coffee has gone from two sticks at 6 yuan to the current three sticks at 10 yuan. "I've always drunk Nescafé coffee myself. In the past, many people couldn't afford it. In our era, this was the best coffee."

Regarding the suddenly viral coffee business, a reporter saw in the shop that Grandma Han had brought in a large batch of Nescafé 1+2 instant coffee. While saying "it's going to sell out," she busily took three sticks of coffee, cut them open with scissors, poured them into a cup, then lifted an old-fashioned thermos and began pouring water. After stirring a few times with a spoon, she sealed the cup before bagging it for the customer.

When asked whether "10 yuan a cup of pour-over coffee is profitable," Grandma Han said bluntly that although she earns little, she sells a lot—it is simply small profits but quick turnover. "With me selling so much, how could I not make money? If I weren't making money, why would I wear myself out like this? I don't care whether it goes viral or not. I've always done it this way, doing business honestly."

According to Modern Express, when arriving at "Grandma Han's Sugarcane Juice" after 11 a.m. on the 19th, many people could be seen from afar lining up in front of the shop, almost all young people. Most said they had come after seeing the video, drawn by the "10-yuan cup of pour-over coffee," and many were also tourists from out of town.

During daytime business hours, the reporter also observed that besides Auntie Han herself busy at the counter, another woman was also helping pack. "We're neighbors. She's a good person. I saw she couldn't handle it all, so I came to lend a hand."

As Auntie Han became famous online, the sugarcane juice shop attracted many internet celebrity streamers, all arriving with high-definition cameras to "check in" and film. These streamers filmed Auntie Han making coffee while also filming the crowds watching. Some livestream rooms instantly exceeded 10,000 concurrent viewers.

In the face of the "overwhelming traffic," although it did bring a steady stream of customers to Grandma Han, it also inevitably brought insincere customers who only wanted to "ride the hype." Just yesterday, a netizen posted a video saying that while Auntie Han was busy making coffee in the crowd, a customer skipped payment. In the video, she is looking around everywhere, seemingly searching for someone: "He just filmed the video, but didn't scan to pay. He just bought it and left."

As the biggest beneficiary of this wave of traffic, Nescafé officially also kept pace, not only overnight changing the promotional cover of this 3-in-1 instant coffee directly to "the same coffee as Nanjing's 10-yuan grandma," but also drawing a custom cartoon image for Grandma Han.

Nescafé also said it has arranged free offline supply for the auntie and actively responded to netizens' expectations by inviting her to the livestream room if Auntie Han is willing.

Video and images from: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.