Diversifying demand for coffee drinks has broadened the consumer market in Korea and increased the country’s exports, according to the government, Tuesday. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said the country’s coffee consumption has expanded from instant coffee mixes to a wider variety of roasted coffee beans and specialty drinks made with them. Demand for budget coffee has also surged, indicating a “market polarization” between premium specialty coffees and more affordable options, the ministry said. Citing data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, the agriculture ministry said roasted coffee businesses in 2024 posted the highest sales across the country’s coffee industry, with over 1.3 trillion won ($917 million). The figure showed an average annual growth of 15.8 percent since 2018. Ready-to-drink coffee and instant coffee followed the market scale in the same year with 1.1 trillion won and 404 billion won, respectively. Sales and exports of coffee mix products, however, began to see a decline in 2018. This shows the domestic coffee industry that prev