China: The Next Giant Of Coffee Production?

There are more than 70 coffee producing countries in the world and only 21 countries can claim a massive production of more than 100,000 tons. According to chinabgao.com, China is surprisingly one of them, since it has a millennia made up of an unshakeable tea culture. In fact, up to the beginning of 2016, the coffee cultivation area in China exceeded 1,2 billion square metres, with a production quantity of 140,000 tons, which covers 1,5% of total World Coffee production.

The constant growth in quality of life is accompanied by a steady improvement in the taste as well, this combination has brought an increasing hunger for this magical beverage, in its every form: instant coffee powder,  freshly ground coffee, coffee beverages etc. Among this selection, according to m.sohu.com. in the past 90% was represented by Instant Coffee, because of the low price and the easy preparation process; but with the increasing social interaction demand, fresh ground coffee and the Coffee shop are the rising star with their market share getting bigger and bigger every day.

The domestic demand has given favourable ground to the development of coffee cultivation in this country, and  the major production provinces are Yunnan, Hainan, Guangdong and Taiwan, as reported by m.sohu.com. The high quality coffee from North Yunnan and South Hainan are well welcomed by the market because they have a strong but not bitter taste, with a great but not overwhelming aroma, all accompanied by a little fruity taste, very unique.

Yunnan, the biggest Chinese coffee  production province, has really taken advantage of its location and resources for the small grain coffee business, it is located in the subtropical montane zone, with its characteristic highland rich red soil and mild temperature. According to m.sohu.com,  the coffee produced in this province represents 98,2% of value of Coffee produced in the entire China and covers 98% of the national cultivation area.

However, the domestic coffee production can’t satisfy this high demand and the excess demand is filled up by importation, which has rocketed from 13,9 thousand tons to 59,2 thousand tons in 2015, with an average annual growth of 13,7%, as reported by chinabgao.com. This golden exportation opportunity is promptly taken by Vietnam, Indonesia, USA, Brazil, Malaysia, Colombia etc.