Indian media say tea villages in Yunnan have changed due to coffee: 30,000 coffee bean growers export their products to Europe

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According to a report published on the website of the Hindu newspaper on July 9 entitled "Tea Land Changed by Coffee," Yunnan's green hinterland is known for its tea origin, and now it is the turn of a coffee company to attract attention.

The strong aroma of coffee fills the display area of Hougu Coffee Co., Ltd. in Dehong Prefecture, Yunnan Province, not far from the border between China and Myanmar. In the spotless white building, coffee beans are roasted to perfection. Instant coffee in the next room is being freeze-dried.

Finally, there is a huge coffee-house-style hall where visitors can taste the wonderful taste of coffee.

But there is a question: why is the company dabbling in coffee and not tea? The former is famous for coffee beans grown in Colombia, Brazil or Jamaica, while the latter is native to China.

Cao Youwang, a senior official at Hougu Coffee Co., Ltd., has some answers. "Coffee growers decide where to plant based on elevation, sunlight, temperature changes and soil conditions," he said. In general, Yunnan and especially our farms are extremely suitable in these four aspects."

Cao Youwang pointed out that the company grows coffee beans at an altitude of 1600 meters, which is the ideal height for coffee beans to grow. The volcanic soils of the region are also ideal for coffee cultivation. In addition, the average daily temperature difference between Yunnan's three major coffee bean planting areas ranges from 15 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius, which is also a key factor for Hougu Coffee to surpass its competitors.

Like many other Chinese companies, Hougu Coffee is a beneficiary of globalization. Company officials say they sell products to Starbucks and Upper Island Coffee. Connecting with global brands helps the business expand its sales footprint. However, there is another side to this cooperation. Cao Youwang said: "Because of this relationship, we cannot build Hougu into an independent international brand." We are making progress and gaining the necessary recognition, but we are still far from achieving our ultimate goal."

But international brands are already involved in Yunnan's poverty reduction efforts, focusing on bringing poor farmers and workers into market-driven global supply chains. "Nearly 30,000 coffee bean growers and 60,000 families benefit from the cultivation of more than 110,000 hectares of Back Valley coffee," another company executive said.

Yunnan is no stranger to international coffee brands. Swiss food giant Nestle has been involved in Yunnan's coffee industry since 1988. It buys coffee beans from remote areas such as Pu 'er and Xishuangbanna, near the border between China and Laos. The emergence of new transportation networks has also helped Yunnan export coffee, especially to Europe. Chongqing-Singapore-Europe International Railway has now become the logistics lifeline for exporting coffee to Europe.

Starting from Chongqing, the 11179-kilometer railway passes through Lanzhou, Gansu Province, and enters Xinjiang. The train passes through the Alashankou into Kazakhstan, then into Russia, Belarus and Poland, and finally arrives in Duisburg, Germany. Hougu Coffee must exit Guangzhou via the sea before transferring to a cross-border train, which takes 45 to 50 days. The train allows the company to ship products to Europe in just 14 days