Guatemalan coffee sales in Taiwan are at an all time high and growing. That was the takeaway from a coffee tasting event in Taipei on Thursday. The event was attended by government officials and producers from eight different Guatemalan coffee regions. Guatemalan Foreign Vice Minister Karla Samoyoa says her country’s coffee exports to Taiwan have grown by 46% over the past two years.
Central American Trade Office Executive Director Augusto Hung-Ta Liao (廖鴻達) says the amount of Guatemalan coffee imported annually has increased by 80 fold since 2001, from 36 metric tons to 3,120 metric tons, with a value of about US$23 million.
Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Oscar Padilla Lam says Guatemalan coffee now represents 12% of Taiwan’s coffee market, and it’s growing every year. Foreign Ministry representative Chun-fei Chang (張俊菲) says coffee not only can strengthen the economic and trade links between the two sides, but also can deepen friendships between the countries.