KUNMING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A university in Yunnan Province, a renowned coffee production base in southwest China, has partnered with Starbucks to nurture homegrown talent for the booming industry.

Yunnan Agricultural University signed a cooperation agreement with Starbucks China on Wednesday to integrate academic research and industrial resources. Under the deal, the university will leverage its expertise in technological innovation and industrial services, while Starbucks China will offer internship opportunities and career guidance for relevant majors.

The two sides will focus on talent training and research collaboration and help elevate the international competitiveness of the Yunnan coffee industry.

Rolling out China's first undergraduate program in coffee science and engineering in 2024, the university boasted solid research capabilities in coffee variety breeding and cultivation technology.

Wang Weibin, Party chief of the university, said the partnership is expected to set a fine example for college-enterprise cooperation and shore up the sound development of China's coffee industry.

Starbucks China stated that the partnership marks a key step in deepening its presence in Yunnan and empowering the local coffee industry.

As China's core coffee production base, Yunnan has witnessed robust growth of the coffee industry. Official data shows that the province had coffee plantations covering around 97,500 hectares with a green bean output of 138,900 tonnes in 2025, leading the country in planting scale, output and industrial value.

Customs statistics indicate that Yunnan exported 19,000 tonnes of coffee beans and finished coffee products worth 860 million yuan (around 126 million U.S. dollars) last year, which were sold to 43 countries and regions, such as the Netherlands, Vietnam and Germany.