Asia Is a Marathon: A Practical Guide for Latin American F&B Expansion

Date: Friday, 28 November 2025, 5:00 PM (GMT+8)

Organizers: LYC Partners

Speakers:

• Felipe, Founder, Alastra Coffee (China / Asia)

• Jaime, Co‑founder, Nagy Partners (Japan / Asia)

• Regino, Economic and Commercial Office Representative of Spain (China)

• Moderator: Helen (LYC Partners)

Context

LYC Partners hosted this webinar to give Latin American and Spanish food and beverage leaders a practical view on entering and scaling in Asian markets, with a focus on coffee and wine.

The session centered on three questions:

1. What does the current data say about demand for coffee and wine in Asia?

2. How should companies design country‑specific strategies instead of copying and pasting what worked in Europe or the Americas?

3. What are the real regulatory and distribution steps required to succeed in China?

The discussion combined perspectives from:

• A coffee entrepreneur operating across China and Asia (Felipe)

• A wine and hospitality advisor based in Japan (Jaime)

• A trade representative focused on helping Spanish companies enter China (Regino)

• LYC Partners as moderator and executive search / advisory partner in Asia

The Size and Shape of the Coffee Opportunity in Asia

The webinar opened with Felipe framing coffee as a “market thermometer” for Asian consumer trends.

• Asia’s coffee market is about USD 45 billion in total.

• China: approximately USD 18.2 billion, growing around 12–13% annually, significantly faster than mature markets in Europe and North America.

• Japan: about USD 14.7 billion, a highly mature market with very high per‑capita consumption and sophisticated, premium‑oriented consumers.

• Southeast Asia: a combined market of roughly USD 12.1 billion, with growth close to 9–10%, and strong local coffee traditions.

Felipe highlighted three structural drivers behind this growth:

• Rising middle class: more disposable income to spend on “affordable luxuries” such as specialty coffee.

• Demographics: a young population in many Asian countries, eager to try new formats and share experiences on social media.

• Digital integration: in China and across much of Asia, orders and payments are almost entirely mobile. Super‑apps like WeChat, Alipay and local platforms are not “nice to have”; they are the infrastructure.

He also described how coffee culture is shifting from tier‑1 cities to tier‑2 and tier‑3 cities in China. First‑tier cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are close to saturation. Growth now comes from smaller (but still multi‑million) cities where young professionals return after years in the big hubs and expect the same café experiences they had there.

On the qualitative side, Felipe explained how Asia is pushing the “third wave” of coffee:

• More specialty coffees, single origins, and advanced brewing methods

• Experience‑driven venues with baristas, slow brewing, and higher price points

• Experimentation with fermentations, cold coffee, plant‑based milks and “healthier” offerings

He closed with several case studies:

• Blue Bottle (Japan): ultra‑premium positioning and careful brand building.

• Kopi Kenangan (Indonesia): mobile‑first, competitive pricing, and formats designed for takeaway.

• Luckin Coffee (China): rapid expansion, heavy use of data to innovate menus, and large‑scale partnerships (e.g. with Sinopec) that opened non‑traditional channels.

Key message: Entering Asia in coffee – or in any adjacent F&B category – requires digital‑first thinking, scalable operations, and a willingness to invest for at least one to two years before expecting consistent returns.

Wine in Asia: Japan, China, Korea, and Southeast Asia

Jaime then mapped the wine landscape in Asia and explained why copy‑pasting a European or American strategy will not work.

He began by recalibrating expectations:

• Japan, China, and Korea form the core wine markets in Asia.

• Japan’s wine market is around USD 1.8 billion.

• China’s wine market is roughly USD 1.2–1.3 billion, currently in a more challenging phase but still significant.

• Korea’s wine market is about USD 0.5 billion.

• The combined wine market of Southeast Asia (with a focus on urban, higher‑income consumers) is roughly comparable in size to Korea.

Even more important than absolute size is per‑capita consumption. Jaime noted that:

• Japan’s per‑capita wine consumption is far below that of Spain or the UK.

• China’s per‑capita wine consumption is below 0.5 liters per person per year.

This means that long‑term growth will depend not only on taking share from other exporters, but also on helping consumers integrate wine into their normal consumption basket, similar to beer or spirits.

A second structural factor is local wine production:

• Japan and China already produce wines that locals perceive as their own.

• Thailand and other countries in Southeast Asia are also developing local production.

Rather than seeing local wine only as competition, Jaime suggested that it can normalize wine as part of the culture, which in the long run benefits all producers.

Jaime then turned to strategy and channels. For each market, companies must decide where they want to play:

• Restaurants and hotels (on‑trade): brand building, visibility in fine dining, and premium positioning.

• Retail and supermarkets: focus on price, rotation, and clarity of assortment.

• E‑commerce: storytelling, curated bundles, and education for consumers who may still be early in their wine journey.

On importer selection, he warned against mass emailing dozens of companies. Instead, he advised wineries and F&B brands to:

• Study each importer’s current portfolio and strengths.

• Ask: “How does our product help this importer make more and better business?”

• Approach partners where the product can clearly add value, rather than simply asking for shelf space.

Jaime’s examples – including Montes, Enoteca, Penfolds, and Viña San Pedro’s 1865 – show that leading brands in Asia share three traits:

• Stable teams that understand the markets deeply.

• Decades‑long relationships with core importers, often feeling like extended family.

• Strategic consistency, avoiding frequent partner changes driven purely by short‑term sales pressure.

Key message: Wine in Asia is a multi‑year play. Success depends on country‑specific strategies, disciplined channel choices, and long‑term relationships with the right partners.

China Entry: Regulation, Distribution, and Omnichannel Reality

The third segment focused on China, with Regino sharing the view from the Economic & Commercial Office of Spain.

He began with a simple but often overlooked point: not every product can enter China, even if there is demand.

Before thinking about marketing or brand, companies must check:

1. Product eligibility: whether their specific category is allowed to enter the country under Chinese regulations.

2. Trademark registration: ensuring that their brand is registered in China before a third party does it.

3. Manufacturer registration: for many food categories, compliance with frameworks like Decree 248, which requires coordination between the home‑country ministry and Chinese authorities.

Regino then described the post‑COVID context:

• Growth of imported products has slowed, but has not disappeared.

• There is more emphasis on health, safety, and quality.

• The premium and gourmet segments remain relatively resilient, even as mass‑market demand adjusts.

This environment changes the role of the importer. The importer in China today must:

• Understand the category and the relevant sanitary regulations.

• Maintain real distribution networks at provincial and city level.

• Manage logistics and cold chain, often with next‑day delivery expectations.

• Operate within an omnichannel system, where customers might discover a product in a hotel or restaurant, then later purchase it via e‑commerce, comparing prices and reviews in real time.

Regino underlined the strategic importance of country branding:

• In Spain’s case, products like Iberian ham or bluefin tuna act as “spearheads” that open doors to wider categories (oils, wines, dairy, snacks).

• Latin American countries can follow a similar path by identifying one or two emblematic products that build trust and recognition, then extending the portfolio once that credibility is established.

He also highlighted several categories where he currently sees strong potential in China:

• Healthy vegetable oils (olive, avocado, nut oils)

• Premium wines and spirits

• Differentiated dairy products with clear added value

• Animal proteins (beef and specific poultry cuts)

• Prepared and frozen foods that match changing lifestyles

• Innovative snacks with distinctive flavors or formats

Key message: China requires companies to win on regulation, distribution, and omnichannel execution before they can win on brand.

From Insight to Roadmap: What F&B Leaders Should Do Next

In closing, Helen summarized the three talks as a triangle of insight:

• Coffee shows the pace of change in Asian consumer culture and digital habits.

• Wine reveals how much country‑specific strategy and education still lie ahead.

• China’s regulatory and logistics reality reminds leaders that execution is as important as vision.

For Latin American and Spanish F&B companies, the practical roadmap coming out of this webinar can be framed around four working questions:

1. What does coffee tell us about our target market?

   Even if the company does not sell coffee, the evolution of coffee culture is a leading indicator for middle‑class growth, digital behavior, and expectations around experience.

2. How ready is each market for our category?

   Per‑capita consumption, local production, and channel structure will differ between Japan, China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Strategy must reflect those differences.

3. Are we prepared for the “invisible” work in China?

   Trademark registration, regulatory approval, logistics, and omnichannel presence are not side notes; they are the foundation for any sustainable presence.

4. Do we have the patience – and the partners – to run the full marathon?

   The success stories we heard shared long‑term commitment, stable teams, and a willingness to invest ahead of results.

The opportunity in Asia is real: a growing middle class, ongoing digitalization, and genuine curiosity for new products from abroad. The challenge is to treat Asia not as a quick export experiment, but as a multi‑year strategic project that deserves the same seriousness as a domestic transformation.