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Pacific Coffee: the struggle against the third Runner-up of Starbucks and COSTA's local giants

Published: 2026-04-28 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/04/28, Pacific Coffee, a slightly artistic and serious Hong Kong cafe, has opened 164 stores (307 worldwide) since it entered the mainland in 2011, making it the only local coffee brand that can compete with Starbucks from the United States and COSTA from the United Kingdom. Compared with Starbucks and COSTA, Pacific Coffee has a more commercial and struggling position. 1992

Pacific Coffee, a slightly artistic and serious Hong Kong cafe, has opened 164 stores (307 worldwide) since it entered the mainland in 2011, making it the only local coffee brand that can compete with Starbucks from the United States and COSTA from the United Kingdom.

Struggle pie coffee

Compared with Starbucks and COSTA, Pacific Coffee is more "business" and "struggling".

When the Tom Neir couple left Seattle to work in Hong Kong in 1992, Starbucks, which originated in their hometown of Seattle, had more than 100 stores and was successfully listed on Nasdaq [Weibo] a year ago. The Tom Neir couple, who have become accustomed to life in Starbucks and cafes, find that there are no cafes to their satisfaction in Hong Kong. So they decided to create a cafe to meet their needs and call it Pacific Coffee (Pacific Coffee).

The first Pacific Coffee store opened in Central, Hong Kong's financial centre, where Hong Kong's famous bankers, lawyers and accountants gather.

Every mindset of sitting down for a cup of coffee can make a cafe. No matter how invincible the competitors you face, the important thing is, do you know why your coffee is?

At the beginning of its opening, Pacific Coffee was somewhat similar to Starbucks, emphasizing the third space of home and company. But in Hong Kong, which is famous for its small household area, morning tea, restaurants and even small tea shops on the roadside all assume a similar function of the third space. Pacific Coffee targets business people like the Tom Neir themselves, who need a more relaxed but convenient workspace outside the office.

As a result, Pacific Coffee lacks a bit of Starbucks relaxed atmosphere, but adds more business atmosphere. Therefore, in the store decoration and service, Pacific Coffee provides more matching features. For example, the Wi-fi is now standard in coffee shops, but Pacific Coffee installed Internet-connected computer devices in 1996, when personal computers were still part of the minority.

As a result, Pacific Coffee has become a place for struggling people to take a nap in Hong Kong's frightening and exhilarating office world-and of course, don't forget that all breaks are for better fighting.

Early Pacific Coffee shared "Thought for the day" on the blackboard every day to encourage young people to start a business. This habit continues to this day. Not long ago, Pacific Coffee CEO Lanyi also mentioned in an internal speech that the daily golden sentence is the embodiment of Pacific Coffee "bookish style", and "bookish style" is the five core elements of Pacific Coffee brand.

(responsible Editor: Leo)

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