Daiso's Coffee Capsules Priced at 300 Won Each
Home Cafe Costs About 1/10 of Store-Bought Price
#Office worker K, who buys 1 or 2 cups of coffee daily, recently purchased a capsule coffee machine after realizing that his monthly coffee expenses nearly reached 200,000 won. This is because he can buy a coffee machine that can be used permanently by investing just the amount he spends on coffee each month. Since there are coffee capsules priced in the 300 won range, even drinking two cups a day would cost less than 20,000 won per month.
In an era of high inflation, people trying to save on coffee costs have shifted their focus beyond low-priced takeout specialty stores to creating home cafes. [Image source=Getty Images]
In this era of high prices, people trying to save on coffee costs have shifted their focus from low-cost takeout shops to home cafes. The domestic capsule coffee market has grown about fourfold, from 100 billion won in 2018 to 400 billion won last year. The market is also moving quickly to capture consumers.
Leading the instant coffee mix category with Maxim, Dongseo Food, the top domestic instant coffee company, is striving to expand into the capsule coffee sector.
After entering the market last February with the launch of the Kanu Barista machine, they released five new products this month, including two exclusive capsules and three compatible capsules that can be used with other companies' machines. To allow customers to experience their various capsules firsthand, they are also operating a unique concept pop-up store called ‘Switch to Kanu’ at Starfield Hanam until the 27th.
Earlier this year, LG Electronics also stepped into the home cafe market. Through Wadiz funding, they introduced the capsule coffee machine ‘Duobo.’ Unlike existing coffee machines that extract coffee using only one capsule, this machine uses two capsules with different tastes and aromas simultaneously to create coffee tailored to individual preferences.
Nespresso, which holds the number one position in the domestic capsule coffee market, is solidifying its dominance. Nestl?, its parent company, has appointed Korean actress Kim Go-eun alongside global ambassadors such as actors George Clooney and Julia Garner, showing how much effort they are putting into the Korean market.
Daiso has launched affordable capsule coffee priced between 300 and 500 won per piece, receiving a hot response.
The popularity of home cafes is also proven by SNS certifications. Searching hashtags like #homecafe, #homecafeplay, #coffeestagram, and #handdrip on Instagram reveals various posts shared by home cafe enthusiasts. Posts related to #homecafe alone easily exceed 6 million.
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