In Jiangmen, Guangdong, there are two fragrances intertwined in the air year-round: one is the centuries old Xinhui tangerine peel and citrus fragrance, and the other is the popular coffee roasted fragrance. As the "Overseas Chinese Capital" of China, Jiangmen relies on its profound overseas Chinese resources and solid manufacturing foundation to create the distinctive consumer brand of "Overseas Chinese Coffee", achieving a leapfrog development of the coffee industry from scratch and from small to large. The number of coffee shops per 10000 people ranks among the top five in China, with roasted coffee production accounting for about 10% of the country's total and exports accounting for 22% of the country's total. There are over 350 coffee equipment and spare parts manufacturing enterprises, and about 40% of the country's stainless steel coffee utensils and one out of every five exported coffee machines are produced in Jiangmen. The annual output value of related industries exceeds 3 billion yuan, making it an important coffee processing and production base and trade center in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area. Xinhui District in Jiangmen City is known as the "Hometown of Chinese Chenpi" and the core carrier of Jiangmen's coffee industry. Coffee roasting capacity accounts for half of Jiangmen City, and over 500 hardware and stainless steel product enterprises form a "silver industry corridor" stretching for tens of kilometers. A coffee pot sells well in Europe and America, with millions of pieces sold annually. There are over 300 coffee related business entities. "Chenpi Coffee" is highly sought after by many young people and has become a new business card of the city. A small cup of coffee connects a hundred years of overseas Chinese history and also supports a city's characteristic industrial map. Recently, Southern Metropolis Daily reporters visited Xinhui District in Jiangmen City to explore the key to the success of the coffee industry in Jiangmen. Southern Metropolis Daily reports. Southern Metropolis Daily reports. Last year, the production of roasted coffee beans exceeded 10000 tons, and the export value accounted for 22% of the national total Jiangmen is the "Capital of Overseas Chinese" in China, with over 5.3 million overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan spread across 145 countries and regions around the world. As early as the 1860s, a large number of Jiangmen people went abroad to make a living. When returning to their hometowns, returned overseas Chinese bring along items such as coffee beans, coffee pots, and bean grinders, becoming vivid witnesses of the integration of Chinese and foreign life. Nowadays, these old objects can still be seen in the watchtowers and overseas Chinese houses preserved throughout Jiangmen, recording the early traces of coffee entering the hometown of overseas Chinese. Over the past century of international exchanges and integration, Jiangmen has developed an open and inclusive character. Western style coffee has shed its label as a niche imported product and gradually integrated into the daily life of overseas Chinese communities, accumulating a strong consumer atmosphere and mass base for later industrial development. Jiangmen is geographically close to Hong Kong and Macau, and has a close relationship with people. Entering the 21st century, with the continuous release of Jiangmen's geographical advantages, a group of coffee companies deeply rooted in Hong Kong and Macao have landed in Jiangmen to layout the mainland market. Around 2002, well-known coffee brands such as Xiangji (Jiangmen) Coffee Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Xiangji") and Jiangmen Chengpin Food Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Chengpin") successively settled in Xinhui District of Jiangmen City, making Jiangmen one of the earliest cities in China to carry out specialized coffee roasting production. At present, Xiangji has built a fully automated production base with an area of 13000 square meters, equipped with 5 main baking machines. The largest one can bake 120 kilograms of green beans in 15 minutes, and the maximum annual output can reach more than 4000 tons. Xiangji products mainly focus on moderate and deep baking, with a classic "nutty flavor" that is suitable for chain restaurants, hotels, and convenience stores. They cover major cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, and are also exported to countries such as Canada and Myanmar. Tang Jinhui, a Chinese businessman with ancestral roots in Xinhui, moved to Macau when he was young. In 2006, he returned to his hometown and invested in the establishment of Eslite Coffee, which was officially put into operation the following year. The enterprise is deeply involved in the coffee roasting field and has become one of the executive members of the China Coffee Alliance. Its products are not only supplied to the domestic market, but also exported in bulk to Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. Eslite's layout includes "coffee+cultural tourism", and the picture shows a tourist factory built in Xinhui. Photo provided by Xinhui Integrated Media Center Eslite's layout includes "coffee+cultural tourism", and the picture shows a tourist factory built in Xinhui. Photo provided by Xinhui Integrated Media Center After more than 20 years of development, the coffee roasting industry in Jiangmen has grown rapidly and has attracted high-quality projects such as the global capsule coffee machine leader Xifei Technology, Junlebao South China Liquid Milk Base, Meizi Intelligent Home Appliance Production Base, Eslite Coffee Plant 2, and Coffee Museum to settle in. Currently, there are 21 coffee enterprises in the city with food production license qualifications, importing more than 300 types of coffee beans with a production capacity of over 10000 tons per year. According to data from Jiangmen Customs, by 2025, the production of roasted coffee beans in Jiangmen City will exceed 10000 tons, accounting for about 10% of the national production, and the export value will account for 22% of the national total. Jiangmen has become an important export base for coffee roasting products in China.
Introduce and cultivate over 350 coffee equipment and spare parts enterprises
Xinhui District of Jiangmen City is a production base for stainless steel products in China. The stainless steel product industry started in the 1970s and formed a "Silver Corridor" with Siqian Town as the main body, covering multiple towns and streets such as Guifeng Huicheng, Daze, Shuangshui, Sanjiang, and economic development zones. By 2025, there will be over 500 hardware and stainless steel product enterprises in Xinhui District, with products selling well in more than 100 countries and regions worldwide. About 70% of them will be exported to the European and American markets, including more than 160 enterprises above designated size, with an annual total output value exceeding 21 billion yuan.
Recently, Southern Metropolis Daily reporters visited Siqian Town in Xinhui District and visited leading coffee utensil manufacturing enterprises such as Kaiyu Industrial Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Kaiyu") and Yida Metal Products Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Yida") in Xinhui District, Jiangmen City.
In 1996, He Jingqin, a predecessor of Xinhuisi, founded the predecessor of Kaiyu – Jiangmen Lihua Metal Products Factory, specializing in the design and production of stainless steel kitchenware. Around 2000, an overseas merchant brought a coffee utensil sample, allowing He Jingqin to keenly capture the market trends in the coffee industry. He immediately led the team to independently develop and launch the first stainless steel press pot, and obtained the patent, officially entering the field of coffee utensils. In 2013, He Jingqin's daughter He Zhongai and son-in-law Liang Zhewei took over the management, promoting the enterprise to fully shift towards intelligent production and brand operation.
The coffee utensils displayed in the product exhibition area of Xinhui Kaiyu are diverse in variety.
The coffee utensils displayed in the product exhibition area of Xinhui Kaiyu are diverse in variety.
After 30 years, Kaiyu has developed from a small hardware workshop with 30 people to a high-tech enterprise and a specialized and innovative small and medium-sized enterprise in Guangdong Province. In the subdivision field of coffee utensils, Kaiyu specializes in three major categories of products: hand drawn, Italian, and steeper, covering a full range of categories such as French press pots, hand drawn pots, coffee grinders, etc. The stainless steel press pot, as a core star product, is popular in the European and American markets.
In recent years, Kaiyu has built the high-end overseas brand Highwin, which is sold well in more than 30 countries and regions around the world, and has become a stable supplier for internationally renowned brands such as Melitta and Lavazza. In 2024, the local brand BEHOSHARE was launched, leveraging both domestic e-commerce platforms and live streaming sales channels to achieve an annual sales volume of 1 million coffee utensils.
Yida's growth story is similar to Kaiyu's. In 1998, Tang Liaoyong, a former employee of the company, rented a 200 square meter old house, bought two machines, hired one worker, and started a small hardware workshop. After more than 20 years of development, the small workshop has become a leading stainless steel enterprise in Xinhui. In recent years, Tang Liaoyong has transformed a factory into a coffee utensil manufacturer. In 2022, he supported his daughter, who had returned from studying abroad in Australia, to establish her own brand and develop about 50 high-end stainless steel coffee utensils such as teapots, storage jars, and grinders, focusing on expanding overseas markets.
Yida's products are highly favored by European and American customers. Enterprise image supply
Yida's products are highly favored by European and American customers. Enterprise image supply
From small workshops to industry leaders, Kaiyu and Yida are vivid examples of the development of Jiangmen's coffee industry. According to the "Qiaodu Coffee White Paper" released by the Jiangmen Municipal Bureau of Commerce and other departments, Jiangmen relies on the foundation of hardware and stainless steel products, intelligent home appliances industry, and convenient import and export environment to introduce and cultivate more than 350 coffee equipment and spare parts enterprises such as Xifei Technology, Muweina, Meizi Technology, Belston, Fanwei, Keming, and Aisheng Electric Appliances. About 40% of the stainless steel coffee utensils and one out of every five exported coffee machines in the country are produced in Jiangmen, and the annual output value of coffee and related industries exceeds 3 billion yuan.
Innovate the "Coffee+" model, with the number of coffee shops per 10000 people ranking among the top five in the country
'Falling in love with coffee making' is the business philosophy that Kaiyu has always adhered to. With the rise of short videos in recent years, the company has formed a 10 person content team, opened video accounts on mainstream platforms, popularized knowledge of coffee utensils for home use, conveyed the concept of "brewing process is also a joy of life", and cultivated domestic coffee consumption culture.
With the support of her family, He Zhongping, the sister of He Zhongai, the Chief Operating Officer of Kaiyu, went abroad to study baking and dessert making. In 2015, she returned to her hometown and founded the baking brand LE SAPHIR. Currently, she has opened 5 stores in Jiangmen. Shafir Candy's store is located near residential areas, providing supporting services such as coffee, bread, cakes, and other community light catering, forming a family industry ecology of "coffee utensils+baking".
Kaiyu's story vividly illustrates the mutual traction and collaborative upgrading between industry and consumption. Nowadays, if you take a walk in the urban and rural areas of Jiangmen, whether it's in the city's commercial districts, internet celebrity check-in points, or high-end residential areas and old houses, you may encounter one coffee shop after another. According to data from the Jiangmen Municipal Bureau of Commerce, there are currently nearly 2000 coffee related business entities in Jiangmen City. In the ranking of coffee shop density in Chinese cities, Jiangmen ranks among the top five in terms of the number of coffee shops per 10000 people in the country.
Internet famous coffee shops can be seen everywhere in Jiangmen. Photo by Luo Zhongming
Internet famous coffee shops can be seen everywhere in Jiangmen. Photo by Luo Zhongming
Jiangmen seizes the opportunity of the rapid development of the local coffee industry, innovates the "Coffee+" model, creates the "Qiaodu Coffee" brand, and empowers the coffee consumption market to extend towards high-end high added value.
The combination of coffee and festivals has sparked a consumer explosion. In recent years, Jiangmen has focused on coffee culture, innovated the "making festival" method, held coffee markets, coffee skills competitions, online evaluations and other activities, continuously activating market consumption vitality. Up to now, Jiangmen City has held four consecutive sessions of the China Overseas Chinese Capital (Jiangmen) Coffee Festival, with the scale of the event increasing year by year and attracting over 1.6 million visitors.
Kaiyu participated in the Jiangmen Qiaodu Coffee Festival in China. Enterprise image supply
Kaiyu participated in the Jiangmen Qiaodu Coffee Festival in China. Enterprise image supply
Coffee+Cultural and Creative "enhances the" Overseas Chinese Coffee "IP. Based on local resources such as tourism, cuisine, and overseas Chinese culture, Jiangmen designs and develops the" Overseas Chinese Coffee "brand, launches 7 coffee specialty products such as Yeka and Xuefei, develops a set of hand brewed coffee utensils with overseas Chinese characteristics, and extends the" Coffee+Cultural and Creative "industry chain. At the same time, we will create themed coffee shops such as Park Coffee and Overseas Chinese House Coffee, and promote over 300 coffee shops to enter urban parks and tourist attractions.
This year's May Day, the "Vietnamese Coffee" store in Changdi, Jiangmen sold over 1000 cups of coffee every day.
This year's May Day, the "Vietnamese Coffee" store in Changdi, Jiangmen sold over 1000 cups of coffee every day.
Establishing a cultural and tourism landmark in coffee cities through the combination of coffee and tourism. In recent years, Jiangmen has carefully created the "Jiangmen 3.3 Wonderful Tour" cultural and tourism brand, promoting stores such as Pioneer Bookstore, Diaolou Time, and Donghu Coffee to enter key cultural and tourism attractions such as Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town, China Overseas Chinese Museum, and Overseas Chinese Ancient Labor Water Town, promoting "coffee" and revitalizing tourism with "coffee".
We need both "cups" and "beans" to build the core city of the coffee industry in the Greater Bay Area
In early April, the on-site exchange meeting on the planting technology of Xinhui citrus and coffee in Xinhui District was held at the Xinhui Citrus Chenpi Germplasm Resources Protection Center. Planters and agricultural practitioners from all over the district learned advanced technologies and explored new paths for industrial development through on-site observation, expert lectures, and experience exchanges.
The development of Xinhui Chenpi industry has matured, and the coffee industry is in a period of growth. At the exchange meeting, the coffee demonstration planting base of Xinhui District Forestry Science Research Institute became the focus. Xinhui has abundant rainfall, ample sunshine, and fertile land, providing a unique natural condition for coffee cultivation. Seeing plump green berries hanging on the coffee tree, growers expressed their desire to try planting. Chenpi coffee operators also hope that "Xinhui Chenpi+Xinhui Coffee" can ignite a unique spark.
Farmers and agricultural practitioners are particularly interested in the coffee that will be grown in Xinhui. Photo provided by Xinhui District Integrated Media Center
Farmers and agricultural practitioners are particularly interested in the coffee that will be grown in Xinhui. Photo provided by Xinhui District Integrated Media Center
Different from the single link development model of many coffee producing areas in China, Jiangmen adheres to the full chain development of the coffee industry, coordinates and promotes the integration of planting, manufacturing, trade, consumption, culture and tourism, and connects the complete industrial chain from seeds to cups. Coffee cultivation has filled the last gap from scratch.
We have currently planted 100 acres of coffee trees, which will grow in 2023 and bear fruit in 2024, "Huang Hongjian, director of the Forestry Science Research Institute in Xinhui District, told Southern Metropolis Daily on May 28th. The institute has been cooperating with the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences to carry out a pilot project for several years, and the introduction of Xinhui coffee has formed a multi variety trial planting pattern. Among them, the Katim small grain coffee has shown a good growth trend under local climate conditions and has become a core trial variety. Starting from the end of 2025, suitable varieties such as Guixia, Robusta, and Tiepika will be introduced to enrich the trial planting categories. In November of the same year, the first coffee industry demonstration base in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, jointly established by the Agricultural Economics and Information Research Institute of Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Forestry Science Research Institute of Xinhui District, was unveiled and established in Xinhui District.
China's coffee consumption is currently in a "golden growth period", with explosive market growth and sustained release of consumption potential. According to the "2025 China Coffee Industry Development Report", the size of the Chinese coffee market will exceed 360 billion yuan by 2025.
Facing the trend of the coffee industry, Jiangmen is rising against the wind. Recently, the Action Plan for Promoting High Quality Development of the "Qiaodu Coffee" Industry in Jiangmen City (2026-2028) was officially released. According to the plan, by 2028, the coffee industry in Jiangmen will achieve high-quality development throughout the entire chain, and the influence of the "Qiaodu Coffee" regional public brand will be significantly enhanced, forming an industrial development pattern of "planting with scale, manufacturing advantages, trade channels, distinctive consumption, and integration of culture and tourism". The industrial scale will continue to grow, and efforts will be made to build the China (Jiangmen) coffee industry base, successfully becoming the core city of the coffee industry in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, an important coffee roasting and equipment manufacturing base in the country, and an important node for global coffee industry exchange and cooperation.
In just four days, the fourth Qiaodu Coffee Festival has attracted over 510000 visitors. Image source: Jiangmen Culture and Tourism
In just four days, the fourth Qiaodu Coffee Festival has attracted over 510000 visitors. Image source: Jiangmen Culture and Tourism
A small cup of coffee carries the open genes of Jiangmen, concentrates the industrial confidence of Jiangmen, and interprets the aesthetic of life in Jiangmen. "At the 2026 Qiaodu Coffee Industry Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Conference, Chen Jie, Secretary of the Jiangmen Municipal Party Committee, resonated with coffee industry insiders. From the exotic flavors in the bags of returning overseas Chinese a hundred years ago to the complete industry cluster of three billion yuan today, the coffee industry in Jiangmen has achieved a leapfrog development from scratch to excellence, and is expected to create another industrial legend in the future after Xinhui Chenpi.
Sun Haitao, Secretary General of Guangzhou Coffee Industry Association:
The coffee industry in Jiangmen is booming, which can drive coffee consumption through cultural tourism
In recent years, Guangzhou has built a coffee industry in the city with its urban industrial strength, technological strength, and market consumption power: it has more than 8000 coffee shops, ranking second in the country and first in South China in terms of quantity; By 2025, the annual output value of the entire industry chain will be 67 billion yuan, directly driving employment of over 150000 people, and the import volume of raw beans will account for 42% of the country's total. As a rising star in the coffee city, what can Jiangmen learn from Guangzhou? Sun Haitao, Secretary General of Guangzhou Coffee Industry Association, has been deeply involved in the coffee industry for more than 30 years. On June 2nd, Southern Metropolis Daily interviewed Sun Haitao and invited him to offer suggestions and advice.
In recent years, the development speed of the coffee industry in Jiangmen has been the fastest in Guangdong. It can be said that the coffee industry in Jiangmen has already started, leading many cities, which is inseparable from the care and support of the Jiangmen Municipal Party Committee and Government. In my impression, the heads of functional departments in Jiangmen are very practical and down-to-earth. We often participate in national coffee industry activities, and we can see their figures every time, arriving earlier than us. From this detail, we can see Jiangmen's determination to promote the development of the coffee industry, "said Sun Haitao.
Now that Jiangmen has introduced a combination of policies to promote the high-quality development of the coffee industry, it has the conditions for the coffee industry to take off. In particular, Jiangmen has introduced a number of advanced factories from the production and manufacturing end. For example, there are only two printers used for coffee latte art in the domestic market, one in Shenzhen and the other in Jiangmen. From the perspective of Jiangmen's coffee industry planning, land use planning, park construction, integration of the tertiary industry, talent reserve, etc. are all very planned. For example, Jiangmen has launched a "one test, three certificates" vocational skill evaluation for coffee masters in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Taking the coffee master certificate exam in Jiangmen can be recognized by Hong Kong, Macao, and other cities, indicating that Jiangmen is fully prepared in talent cultivation and reserve, cross-border exchanges. Jiangmen's coffee industry structure is well planned. The combination punched quite beautifully, "said Sun Haitao.
Sun Haitao believes that the coffee industry in Jiangmen currently has focus on policy support, cultural tourism integration, and other dimensions, and the foundation for future development has been laid. Firstly, in terms of consumption, the coffee industry in Jiangmen will develop more deeply in the future, which is inseparable from the local consumption level. However, the net inflow of population in Jiangmen is not like that in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, so it is necessary to increase efforts in cultural and tourism to drive coffee consumption. Secondly, Jiangmen's coffee industry has a good production and manufacturing industry, and we can consider more capacity spillover and radiation to surrounding areas
Planning: Liu Anran and Xie Jiangtao
Overall plan for this period: Guo Ruichuan
This issue was written by journalist Zeng Yujun from Nandu N Video
Photography for this issue: Nandu N Video journalist Zeng Yujun (unless signed)
Editor: Wang Ziyu Responsible Editor: Chen Haimin
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