By Wu Siya

 

BEIJING, Sept. 2 (China Economic Net)- "So far, our beans have gone abroad to reached countries and regions including the Middle East, South Korea, and Australia. It is our sincere hope to make Yunnan coffee famous worldwide in the future, letting its aroma spread all over the world," said the head of a coffee cooperative from the Yunnan International Trade and Investment Chamber of Commerce proudly while handing a cup of fragrant coffee to the reporter at the 2024 Café Show China.

 

 

China Economic Net learned that at this year’s expo, companies from Yunnan, a major coffee producing province in China, participated in the exhibition in groups. Dozens of coffee companies were committed to leading the audience to appreciate the unique charm of Chinese coffee.

 

“As far as our current international business is concerned, the Middle East is one of our main markets, including countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,” another trader from the Yunnan Coffee Trading Center told CEN.

 

 

“We mainly produce Catimor beans, whcih has been widely planted in the coffee-growing areas of Yunnan, China, including Dehong, Baoshan, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, etc., with a total area of more than 200,000 mu (about 13,333 hectares). The beans produced in these areas are increasingly popular in the Middle East, Russia and other places. Our international business was delayed for several years due to the pandemic, and now we are about to have a brand-new start. Our annual export volume is currently around several thousand tons, but the scale will definitely expand further in the future.”

 

In recent years, China has become an important consumer and producer of coffee in the globe, and Yunnan is China's largest coffee-growing area, with a planting area and output accounting for more than 98% of the country. According to customs data, in 2023, the export volume of Chinese coffee was about 5,900 tons and the export value was USD 78 million. In terms of classification, the export value of China’s green beans was USD 68 million, accounting for 87.17% of the total value. It is not difficult to see that compared with the huge size of the Chinese market, the data still has huge room for growth.

 

In December 2023, the news that the Chinese coffee company COTTI Coffee was recruiting in Dubai was released. Just three months later, its first new store in the UAE was settled in Dubai, with COTTI became the first Chinese coffee chain brand to enter the Middle East. The UAE media also predicted that the UAE coffee market will grow at an annual rate of 8.4% between 2023 and 2029. Perhaps, with the Belt and Road Initiative, the modern Silk Road, the small beans will be accompanied by fragrance, brewing another sweet and prosperous market between China and the Middle East.