TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's largest homegrown coffee chain is brewing ambitious plans beyond its caffeinated comfort zone, as Louisa Coffee (路易莎咖啡), the island's answer to Starbucks with a distinctly Taiwanese character, unveiled a bold diversification strategy during its annual shareholders' meeting on Wednesday (June 18). Chairman Huang Ming-hsien (黃銘賢), addressing investors at the company's headquarters in Taipei's Neihu district, projected that revenue streams from the company's non-coffee ventures will soon eclipse half of its total business, marking a significant pivot for the brand that has dominated Taiwan's competitive cafe landscape for over a decade. The coffee giant plans to capitalize on its extensive market presence and customer loyalty while developing its growing constellation of food-focused subsidiary brands and strategic industry partnerships to fuel this transformation from coffee purveyor to diversified food conglomerate.
Financial figures presented at the meeting revealed mixed performance for the coffee giant, with Louisa's 2024 total revenue reaching NT$2.392 billion (approximately US$80.9 million), representing a marginal decline of 1.04% compared to the previous year's results, though still securing its position as the second-highest annual revenue in the company's operating history. The chain achieved a record-breaking gross margin of 46.27% despite challenging market conditions, though shareholders noted the impact of volatile global coffee commodity prices on the company's bottom line, with earnings per share declining to NT$4.64 (about US$0.16). Company executives highlighted a strong recovery trajectory in 2025, pointing to first-quarter revenue that surged 12.96% year-over-year to NT$646 million (around US$21.9 million), establishing a new quarterly record that suggests momentum for the diversification strategy.
With an extensive retail network of approximately 560 locations across Taiwan, Louisa has methodically assembled a diverse portfolio of food-focused brands that now includes Thai-inspired Pikul (初泰), the company's in-house bakery concept Louisa BAKERY, self-service dining venue self room, Japanese-influenced rice bowl specialist Tan Shou (丹生炊事), premium beverage brand Jiu.yang (玖仰), plant-based dining concept SUN BERNO (光焙若蔬食), and an unnamed steakhouse operation. During the presentation, Chairman Huang specifically highlighted the commercial success of the company's recently introduced "Healthy Good Food" (健康好食) product line, which features nutritionally balanced meal boxes incorporating multi-grain components, noting that these offerings have generated additional monthly revenue of approximately NT$200,000 (about US$6,800) per location where introduced. The executive expressed particular enthusiasm about Louisa's ongoing expansion into the rapidly growing self-service restaurant segment, which aligns with changing consumer dining preferences in Taiwan's urban centers. ◼
