Analysis: Will Cotti Coffee succeed where others fell short in Belgium?

Hot on the heels of launches in France, Germany, Spain and the UK, Cotti has entered its fifth European market. But with some of Europe’s largest coffee chains struggling to gain traction in Belgium, can this Chinese disruptor buck the trend?

Ever since making its international debut in South Korea in August 2023, Chinese coffee chain Cotti Coffee has been determined to take its affordable, flavour-led coffee offering to the global masses.

After scaling across East Asia and launching in Australasia, the Middle East and North America in 2024, China’s second-largest branded coffee chain landed in Europe in the first quarter of 2026 with a flurry of stores across France, Germany, Spain and the UK.

In these developed markets, Cotti faces direct competition from established and successful coffee chains.

Its latest European market, Belgium, represents a different challenge.

With a branded coffee shop market estimated at just 530 outlets, this small European nation has become a big headache for major coffee operators.