Roaster-Maker Loring Signs Shanghai Fortunecaffe for China Distribution

A special small-batch Loring display model. Daily Coffee News photo.

Santa Rosa, Calif.-based roasting equipment manufacturer Loring Smart Roast announced today that Shanghai Fortunecaffe has become the exclusive distributor of Loring coffee roasters and accessories in China and Hong Kong. Shanghai Fortunecaffe will also provide support services throughout the market utilizing factory-trained technicians, Loring said.

Loring said its commercial machines — known in part for their fuel-efficiency — are currently running in 30 countries worlwide, including China.

“The China market represents an exciting opportunity for us,” Dennis Vogel, Loring’s director of marketing and sales said in a press release issued today. “We expect that the growing interest in specialty coffee will translate into increased demand for precise and efficient coffee roasting machines.”

Fortunecaffe was founded in the early 1990s in Taipei, Taiwan, as an Illy distributor, and a Shanghai branch launched in the early 2000s. The company has been a Chinese distributor for Illy and La Cimbali in China, while becoming La Marzocco‘s China distributor in 2003.

“We are excited not only because we are distributing one of the most technologically advanced roasters in Loring, but also the growth it will bring to the China market,” said Shanghai Fortunecaffe Head of Sales and Marketing Douglas Chang. “In our opinion, we are helping to shape an innovative brand’s future in China, which is more important to us than mere monetary gains alone.”

Shanghai Fortunecaffe is currently making its Loring China distribution launch at the Shanghai Hotelex expo, which started today.