Where Coffee Aroma Meets Rural Revitalization: Xiding Township, Menghai

At a Glance (China Coffee Network): Xiding Township, Menghai County, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, sits in mountainous terrain at 1,200–1,800 meters above sea level. Its climate and soil suit coffee growth, making it a natural specialty coffee growing area. Seeing the market potential of specialty coffee, the township Party committee and government set a quality-development direction, actively attracting and nurturing local enterprise Menghai Yunle Coffee, partnering government and business to revitalize local coffee resources and solve problems of a late-starting industry, low standards, and narrow sales channels.

Under the Party committee and government’s coordination, the enterprise has deeply cultivated the planting front end, fully assisting farmers to improve quality and increase income. Over five years, Yunle Coffee has freely distributed nearly 6 million coffee seedlings to farmers, worth over 10 million yuan, introduced premium coffee varieties, and partnered with research institutes on improved breeding; its cultivated varieties won awards in a provincial green-bean competition. The township implemented a “five unifications” management model and ecological planting, raising per-mu yield to 1,200 kg and boosting farmers’ average annual income by about 4,800 yuan, cementing the industry’s foundation from the source.

Building on a sound planting base, government and business together shored up infrastructure gaps and extended the industry chain. The township invested over 12 million yuan to build standardized coffee processing and roasting plants, enabling on-site processing of fresh cherries. On the production side, strict picking standards mean only ripe red cherries are harvested to safeguard quality; on the product side, the shift from selling single green beans to diverse products—drip bags, specialty beans, and coffee cherry tea—raised added value, with the cherry tea selling at 300–400 yuan per kg. High-standard processing also strengthened the local brand, with over 20 offline stores, completing the transformation from raw-material output to brand operation.

A constantly improving chain has fully reversed the past trap of “cheap beans hurting farmers,” letting many households achieve stable prosperity. Previously, local fresh cherries had gone unsold and many farmers were forced to cut trees and switch crops. After Yunle Coffee arrived, it adopted a price-floor purchasing policy, stabilizing market expectations and letting farmers develop production with peace of mind. In 2025 the coffee harvest was bountiful and purchase prices hit a record high; farmers picked 40–50 kg of cherries daily, earning nearly 400 yuan a day. Meanwhile, the coffee industry absorbed large amounts of local labor: the township provided over 2,000 seasonal jobs, raising workers’ average annual income by 12,000 yuan. The coffee estate’s work-for-relief project cumulatively offered over 12,000 nearby jobs and paid more than 3 million yuan in wages. Today the township’s total coffee-chain output exceeds 19 million yuan, and residents who stayed behind found employment at their doorstep, with more secure livelihoods.

Now, coffee trees across the hills thrive. Through a development model led by the Party committee, powered by enterprise, extended by the chain, and enriching the people, Xiding Township has turned small coffee cherries into “wealth cherries” for rural revitalization, activating rural development momentum through distinctive industries and writing a new chapter of thriving industry and settled communities.