How NeverCoffee Made Specialty Coffee Taste Like the Internet

In China, a simple cup of coffee can cost as much as a fast-food meal. Chain-store commercial brews sell for 30–40 RMB, while premium specialty coffee often hits 100 RMB. For young urbanites drinking coffee daily—whether to wake up, pull an all-nighter, or socialize—that price feels less like a treat and more like a luxury. But what if high-quality coffee didn’t have to come with a luxury price tag?

The answer is 9.9 RMB—that’s how much NeverCoffee charges for a mid-sized bottle of specialty coffee, with large sizes at 14.9 RMB. Their secret? Sourcing directly from global coffee farms, roasting in a standardized Beijing facility, and cutting out the traditional retail markup.

The 9.9 RMB Coffee That Shocked the Industry

Step into NeverCoffee’s small café tucked in a Beijing alley near Xihai, and you’ll find a menu offering single-origin pour-overs and milk-based drinks from six origins—all priced affordably. The most surprising detail? A medium cup costs just 9.9 RMB. CEO Liu Zuofei points out that a basic commercial Americano at a chain store might go for 22 RMB, even though its coffee beans cost only about 0.4 RMB. “Our specialty beans cost a few times more—but still just a few RMB per cup,” he says. While the industry typically operates on 500–1000% profit margins, NeverCoffee keeps theirs at 20–30%.

Why Specialty Coffee Costs So Much (And How They Changed It)

Liu breaks down the economics and misconceptions: “A regular commercial coffee shop hides poor-quality beans behind dark roasts and masks the bitterness with cream and syrup. Specialty coffee, by contrast, highlights origin flavors—grown at high altitudes, hand-picked, processed via washed or natural methods, lightly roasted, and brewed with skill.” He adds that coffee is the world’s second-most-traded commodity after oil, with transparent pricing on NY and London exchanges, yet in China, it’s treated as an expensive imported novelty. NeverCoffee’s solution? Cut costs via direct overseas farm sourcing and in-house roasting, then bottle the results. Their line of black coffee comes in six flavors—Sumatra Mandheling, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, Honduras, and others—each clearly labeled with flavor profile, processing method, roast level, and acidity. Priced as low as 9.9 RMB, these bottled coffees offer the same origin complexity as pricier café offerings, but without the markup.

The Founders’ Battle Over Pricing—and How They Won

NeverCoffee’s founding team jokingly calls themselves “the four unreliable guys.” Among them: architect Zhao Yue, rock musician Hou Zhantao, roaster Kang Jin, and Liu Zuofei, a former lawyer with 11 years of experience in the U.S. Only Kang had prior coffee industry experience, supplying beans to Beijing cafés. Liu met Kang through a shared love of coffee and proposed building an internet-driven specialty coffee brand. Their first major fight? Pricing. “He insisted our high-quality coffee should sell for 40–50 RMB. I insisted on under 10 RMB,” Liu recalls. Their debate lasted from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at a café. Liu eventually won the argument: “True excellence isn’t just about quality—it’s also about accessibility.”

The challenges didn’t stop there. On launch day, the team was blindsided by 1,950 orders—far more than the 100 bottles they’d prepared. They scrambled, sending everyone to the factory to oversee production through the night. But the crisis turned into momentum: loyal customers emerged, and investors took notice. Just three days after launching online via WeChat, they secured 3 million RMB in angel funding from the Hongtai Fund, founded by Minhua Yu and Xitai Sheng (also backers of New Oriental). “We still argue daily over tiny details,” Liu says. “But we live by a ‘never give up’ ethos. Our goal is to grow enough to one day buy those top-tier estates that currently monopolize beans like Blue Mountain and Geisha—so more Chinese drinkers can experience true specialty coffee flavor.”

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does NeverCoffee’s bottled coffee cost?

NeverCoffee sells bottled specialty coffee for 9.9 RMB (medium) and 14.9 RMB (large). These prices apply to multiple single-origin varieties including Sumatra Mandheling, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Honduras.

What makes NeverCoffee’s coffee different from regular chain-store coffee?

Unlike commercial chain coffee, which often uses low-cost beans masked by dark roasts and additives, NeverCoffee focuses on light-to-medium roasted specialty beans sourced directly from global farms. Each bottle highlights origin-specific flavors such as citrus, floral, or nutty notes, with full transparency on processing and roast level.

How did NeverCoffee keep its coffee prices so low?

NeverCoffee reduced costs by sourcing beans directly from international farms and roasting them in a standardized Beijing facility. By cutting out traditional retail markups and focusing on volume sales, they pass the savings to consumers while maintaining a 20–30% profit margin.

Did NeverCoffee receive any outside investment?

Yes. Just three days after launching their bottled coffee online, NeverCoffee secured 3 million RMB in angel funding from the Hongtai Fund (founded by Minhua Yu and Xitai Sheng) on the Sunday following their Friday launch.

What’s the profit margin in the Chinese coffee industry compared to NeverCoffee?

The traditional Chinese coffee industry typically operates on 500–1000% profit margins. NeverCoffee, by contrast, limits its margin to 20–30%, aiming to make specialty coffee affordable like everyday beverages.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for Affordable Specialty Coffee

For fans of NeverCoffee’s 9.9 RMB specialty brews, FrontStreet’s washed Yirgacheffe offers classic bright citrus and floral notes—a great entry point for acid lovers. Their PWN Golden Mandheling delivers bold, clean flavors with nutty and chocolate richness, ideal for those who prefer heavier profiles. Both beans are easy to brew and represent excellent value, mirroring the accessible yet high-quality ethos of NeverCoffee. Freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.