China represents a key market for understanding how coffee culture is evolving outside Europe, and its "Shopping in China" initiative is expected to unleash greater potential for coffee businesses from around the globe, a senior industry executive said.

"The Chinese market is a very important market for De'Longhi," Andrea Natale, director of coffee business development in Asia at De'Longhi Group, said at the recent Wine to Asia exhibition in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, highlighting the market size and the nation's increasingly strong efforts in opening-up.

China's coffee sector has experienced explosive growth in recent years. According to the 2026 China Urban Coffee Development Report, the country's coffee market reached 354.9 billion yuan ($52.3 billion) in 2025, up 13.3 percent year-on-year, with per capita coffee consumption rising to 28.57 cups annually. The home coffee machine market has been particularly robust, with online sales surging 32 percent last year as more consumers embrace cafe-quality coffee at home.

De'Longhi, an Italian home appliance giant, has firmly established itself as a player in China's coffee machine segment, holding approximately 20 percent market share, according to a report from market information tracker 36Kr.

The company has been focusing on innovation to meet Chinese consumers' demand for convenience and quality. Natale highlighted two De'Longhi coffee machine models that bring cafe-style coffee into the home, allowing consumers to enjoy professional-quality coffee with a simple one-touch experience.

"The 'Shopping in China' initiative opens the door to new opportunities, and creates both immediate and long-term opportunities for international brands," Natale said.

Launched by China's Ministry of Commerce in 2025, the initiative has played a key role in boosting inbound consumption. Official data show that the number of departure tax refund stores and foreign tourists using the service both tripled last year, with tax refund sales nearly doubling.

After visiting coffee regions in Yunnan and Hainan provinces, Natale was impressed with the quality of Chinese coffee beans. Yunnan, which produces over 98 percent of China's coffee, saw its coffee output reach 138,900 metric tons in 2025, with a coffee refinement rate of 31.6 percent. The province's total export value hit 860 million yuan in 2025, with products shipped to 43 countries and regions, including the Netherlands, Vietnam, Germany, Malaysia and France.

Natale expressed interest in further exploring connections between Chinese coffee resources and Italian coffee culture.

"Meaningful products are defined less by price and more by the stories and cultural value they carry. I believe the cultural exchanges between China and Italy will continue to enrich both markets," Natale said.