Yunnan, China has become an important producing area of high-quality coffee raw materials.

China is traditionally famous for its tea, but now it is emerging as an important Asian producer of fine Arabica coffee, another beverage crop.

International traders and bakers say coffee from China's Yunnan Province, known for its low consistency and fruity aroma, has become an important ingredient for Arabica blended coffee in Europe. "its light taste and aroma are similar to those of coffee beans in Honduras or Guatemala." Said Hut Desmet, director of the Nestle Coffee China agricultural service team.

Compared with other crops, growing coffee is more profitable. As a result, more and more farmers in Yunnan are turning to coffee cultivation. In 2012, growing the same area of coffee earned twice as much as growing tea, Desmet said. Nestl é began operating in Yunnan in the late 1980s, providing training for coffee growers and buying their coffee. Since 2005, the number of coffee suppliers has increased from 147to more than 2000. Throughout Yunnan, more than 80,000 farmers grow coffee.

Most of the coffee beans produced in Asia belong to Robusta coffee beans, mainly from Vietnam and Indonesia, which are often used to make instant coffee. Arabica coffee beans, mainly used to make cappuccino and espresso, were introduced into Yunnan by French missionaries in the late 1880s. But it was not until 100 years later that coffee production in the region flourished with investment from the Chinese government and the United Nations Development Programme.

Over the past decade, China's coffee exports have grown steadily, from 137000 bags in 1998 to 1.1 million bags in 2012, on a par with Costa Rica. "the demand for Yunnan coffee in international trade is growing," said Qi Qi Cheng, a Yunnan coffee exporter. "

In order to obtain coffee from the source, international coffee groups and traders began to operate directly in Yunnan. Wall Coffee, a Swiss coffee trading company, has established a joint venture with China Simao Arabica Star Coffee Co., Ltd. In 2012, Starbucks also formed a joint venture with Yunnan Aiyi Group.

The coffee production boom comes at a time when China's coffee consumption is growing at a rate of 15% a year. Some experts say that compared with the mature coffee market, Chinese people's awareness of the origin of coffee is relatively weak. "people don't really care where the coffee they drink comes from," Cheng said. "