At the Hangzhou Canal World, there has been a quiet addition of an "anteater" recently. Pushing open the door of Anteter Coffee, the anteater paced slowly, while customers held their phones to take photos and post on their social media. This is already the fifth exotic themed coffee shop owned by the owner, Ayan, in Hangzhou.
After a long research before opening the store, we found that there are too many shops for cat and dog in Hangzhou. Ayan told reporters, "We just thought, can we do something different
Starting from her first kangaroo caf é in January 2025, 'Different' has led her to open themed stores such as sloths, otters, anteaters, and mongooses, and now has 13 stores across the country. From a post-2000s girl who loves keeping pets to the pioneer of the exotic pet coffee track, Ayan opened up a whole new business landscape with a cup of coffee.
The anteater is in the coffee shop. Respondent provided pictures
I didn't expect the effect to be unexpectedly good
At the beginning of last year, Ayan noticed a trend: there were more and more cat cafes and dog cafes, with serious homogenization. After discussing with her husband, she decided to take a gamble – to become the first kangaroo themed coffee shop in Hangzhou.
There are two "swamp forest kangaroos" in the store, one worth 40000 to 50000 yuan. They are small in size, with an average length of only 30 centimeters. They mainly feed on leaves, tender shoots, bark, and mushrooms, and have a friendly personality. From the decor to the dishes, the store is filled with kangaroo elements everywhere. On the day of the opening, Ayan was actually unsure. Would Hangzhou people really come and play kangaroo for a cup of coffee?
I didn't expect the effect to be surprisingly good! "Said Ayan. The Kangaroo Cafe, which has been open for a year, has formed a stable customer flow, with over a hundred people coming to check in on weekdays and doubling on weekends.
After the kangaroo became popular, the second one quickly caught up. This time, the protagonist is a sloth.
At the sloth caf é on the B1 floor of Lianheli in Binjiang District, the "big star" in the shop is a two toed sloth named "Dumb". It usually lies on a simulated tree and uses butterfly clips to pick up a tuft of silly hair on its head. In order to make "Dumb" live comfortably, the temperature inside the store is maintained at 26 ℃ to 28 ℃, simulating the environment of the Amazon rainforest. Shortly after opening, the weekend foot traffic reached 500 people.
A customer, Ms. Shen, stared blankly at "Dumb" and said, "I really like the silly sloth 'Lightning' in the movie 'Zootopia'. It feels so novel to see the sloth so up close!" Ms. Chen next to her is a returning customer who specially chose to come for a second visit on weekdays. "Last weekend, I surrounded a group of children and couldn't even squeeze in.
South American Raccoon and North American Raccoon. Respondent provided pictures
Started raising from three to four months old
Behind the popularity of exotic coffee shops is controversy. Is it hygienic for small animals to dine in the same space as us? Will they be easily scratched or bitten? "This is the first reaction of many people.
Ayan was already prepared for this. She told reporters that the animals in the store were all raised from three to four months old, and after long-term observation, it was determined that their personalities were very stable, so they were selected as "coffee makers" to appear. Sloths and kangaroos, as herbivores, almost never actively attack humans, "she said.
In terms of management, every store has strict regulations. There is a sign at the entrance of the sloth coffee shop that reads: "Please touch with caution, do not touch the head. A gentle personality does not mean that you will not attack people." Ayan explained that prohibiting guests from touching sloths is to reduce disturbance to it, give it sufficient sleep time, and protect guests from accidental injuries. There is a distance between the sloth and the dining area, and customers take photos from that distance.
The dining and pet activity spaces at Kangaroo Coffee Shop and Mongoose Coffee Shop are not separated, and small animals run around under the seats. But there is a staff member accompanying each animal, responsible for observing the animal's condition and guest interaction.
The rise of exotic coffee is not accidental. According to the 2025 White Paper on China's Pet Industry (Consumption Report), the number of domestic pet owners will continue to grow in 2024, reaching approximately 17.07 million people, with the "post-95s" as the main group. Industry insiders have pointed out that with the increasing awareness of exotic pets among consumers, the continuous development of breeding technology, and the promotion of social media, the size of the exotic pet market is expected to rapidly expand in the coming years.
Kangaroo. Respondent provided pictures
From 'traffic' to 'retention'
Starting from a kangaroo caf é, Ayan has now expanded to 13 stores across the country, from urban commercial complexes to rural cultural tourism, in less than two years.
Someone asked her, how far can exotic coffee go?
She didn't answer directly, but rather stated that animals are not props, but living companions. The theme of each store is different, but the core logic is consistent, allowing consumers to have a unique experience of close contact with exotic pets at the cost of a cup of coffee.
From kangaroos to sloths, from anteaters to mongooses, from urban coffee to rural pastures, this post-2000s girl is redefining the boundaries of the word 'coffee' in her own way.