Whereas in 1995 an average Moldovan adult consumed 3 cups of ground coffee annually, in 2023 the number increased to 134, and already in 2024 it is estimated to reach 153 cups. Veaceslav Ioniță, economist with the IDIS Viitorul think-tank, says that 2024 can be declared the year of coffee in Moldova, because Moldovans have exceeded the global average consumption of 140 cups of coffee annually per adult. transmit IPN.

“In 2024 we are set to exceed the world average consumption. We are still quite a few years away from the average European consumption, which is two to three times higher. But at the time of our accession to the European Union, our coffee consumption will also be comparable to that of the EU countries”, guesses the economist.

Moldovans spent about 1.5 billion lei on coffee in 2023, and the government collected almost 300 million lei in taxes.

Whereas in 2005 Moldova imported no more than $0.6 million worth of coffee beans, the number grew to $1.7 million by 2010, and $8.7 million by 2020. In 2023, an estimated $14.1 million worth of coffee beans were imported. In 2024, the estimated import of coffee beans will be around $15.8 million.

It was only in 2021 that coffee beans started prevailing over instant coffee imports.

According to Veaceslav Ioniță, a new phenomenon is being witnessed in Moldova, where imports focus on raw coffee beans, fostering the emergence of a coffee roasting industry. The beans are roasted by four major businesses and later marketed under different Moldovan brands domestically, and some of the amounts even end up being exported. “Today, the import of unroasted coffee beans is small. For now, we buy coffee already prepared by others. But I think we have every chance to develop this industry here”, the economist believes.