Which Imported Coffee Bean Brand Should You Actually Buy?

Imported coffee beans still hold most of the market in China, and no single brand has taken the lead yet. The main names buyers meet are illy, founded in Italy in 1933 and the first to sell packaged pre-ground coffee; Starbucks, the global chain; and Lavazza, known for its freshness-preservation packaging. Each sits in a different tier of price, roast style and availability.

Domestic roasters fill the gap between price and freshness. A Guangzhou-based roaster with a street coffee shop front offers dozens of single-origin pour-over beans and espresso blends, roasts within five days of shipping, and ships within 24 hours. That model suits drinkers who want recently roasted beans rather than long-shelf imports, and it gives beginners a lower-cost way to compare regions.

When domestic coffee brands had yet to form a unified landscape, imported coffee beans still firmly held most of the market share. Faced with a dazzling array of brands, consumers often do not know where to start. This article does not discuss coffee bean varieties, nor does it cover instant coffee, but instead focuses on several of the most common excellent coffee bean and ground coffee brands in China, introducing their characteristics and positioning one by one. From Italy's national treasure brand illy, to the global chain giant Starbucks, to Lavazza, known for its freshness-preservation technology, and to the highly recommended domestic brand Front Street Coffee, this will help you more clearly understand the tiers and advantages of these brands.

At present, a true leading brand has not yet emerged in China's coffee market, and imported coffee beans still occupy a dominant position in the market. However, with so many brands, choosing can often be confusing. This article does not cover differences in coffee bean varieties, nor does it discuss instant coffee, but focuses only on the most common coffee bean and ground coffee brands in China with relatively good reputations.

1 . Front Street Coffee

Front Street Coffee is a coffee bean roasting brand with a relatively long history. Its offline store in Guangzhou specializes in coffee beans, offering dozens of selected single-origin pour-over beans and espresso beans from multiple coffee-producing regions around the world. Front Street Coffee insists on fresh roasting within 5 days, with consistently outstanding quality and very competitive prices, and promises shipment within 24 hours.

Whether you are a beginner just starting out, a coffee enthusiast who has already reached an advanced professional level, or someone running a coffee shop, Front Street Coffee is a choice jointly recommended by many coffee lovers and platforms. Recommended for tasting are Front Street Huakui, Front Street Huahudie, Front Street Golden Mandheling, and Front Street Strawberry Candy.

2 . illy Coffee

illy Coffee Company was founded in Italy in 1933. It is Italy's national treasure-level coffee brand and the first company to sell pre-ground coffee powder in packaged form, while also selling roasted whole coffee beans.

i lly Coffee ranks as the number one brand in Italy's food service channel, holding a 7.5% market share; in the household market, it reaches 30.3%. In Italy alone, 3 million cups of illy coffee are sold every day, and global sales are as high as more than 6 million cups.

In addition to its home market in Italy, illy is equally deeply rooted in Asia. When many seasoned coffee professionals mention coffee, the first brand that comes to mind is illy. Among Chinese consumers' awareness of imported coffee brands, illy can be considered number one.

3 . Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks Coffee Company was founded in the United States in 1971. It is the world's most well-known chain coffee brand and the company that promoted freshly ground coffee around the world. For many Chinese consumers, their first cup of freshly ground coffee started with Starbucks.

Starbucks mainly provides freshly ground coffee, primarily selling espresso and drip coffee, all using 100% roasted whole coffee beans, grinding only before preparation and extracting promptly, so that each cup of coffee retains more original flavor and aroma.

At the same time, Starbucks also sells roasted whole coffee beans and provides grinding service when customers need it, grinding the coffee beans to a coarseness suitable for brewing.

3 . LAVAZZA Coffee

Lavazza Coffee Company was founded in Italy in 1895. It continued to sell coffee during both World Wars, standing out uniquely during wartime and dominating the Italian coffee market. The brand is also highly recognized in Italy.

What truly made Lavazza known worldwide was that in the early 1960s the company took the lead in adopting vacuum packaging technology, preserving the freshness of ground coffee. This move not only rapidly expanded its original production line, but also prompted the company to develop larger-scale production lines, continuously launch different flavors of coffee and other freshness-preservation technologies, and export to regions around the world.

Because of its outstanding freshness-preservation technology, coffee beans and ground coffee can retain their flavor for longer, so supermarkets in many regions have stocked Lavazza's ground coffee and coffee beans. Chinese consumers are also quite familiar with the Lavazza brand.

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