More than 50 Taiwanese businessmen visit Yunnan coffee industry: crossing mountains and seas to find the fragrance of “beans” together

China News Service, Baoshan, Yunnan, July 12th: More than 50 Taiwanese businessmen visit Yunnan's coffee industry: crossing mountains and seas to find the fragrance of "beans" together

Author Shi Wenzhi

Returning to Baoshan after more than five years, I feel a sense of familiarity with my family. "On the 12th, after concluding a four-day inspection of the Yunnan coffee industry, Taiwanese coffee seeker Cai Shangcun joked that Baoshan's scenery remains the same, but the vitality and pattern of the coffee industry are no longer the same as before." This trip is just the right time.

On July 9th, Taiwanese businessmen conducted coffee cup testing at Baoshan Premium Coffee Industrial Park. Photo by Shi Wenzhi

From July 9th to 12th, more than 50 Taiwanese coffee industry professionals who participated in the 14th Yuntai Coffee Industry Integration and Development Matchmaking Conference visited Baoshan City to explore the city's coffee industry park, boutique coffee plantations, coffee plantations, and production workshops, embarking on a compact and enriching industry research. Several Taiwanese businessmen have expressed that the complementarity of technology, market, and brand in the Yuntai coffee industry far exceeds expectations, and there is ample room for cooperation.

Although Yunnan and Taiwan are separated by mountains and seas, they are both crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, and their similar climate conditions provide a natural foundation for agricultural cooperation between the two regions. As the main coffee producing area in China, Yunnan's coffee planting area and output account for over 98% of the country's total. The unique geographical and climatic advantages have attracted many Taiwanese businessmen to establish a full chain industry of coffee cultivation, processing, and sales in Baoshan City, Pu'er City, Kunming City, and other places in the province.

For Cai Shangcun, this visit not only found his favorite coffee beans, but also unexpectedly gained opportunities for cooperation with local enterprises in freeze-drying technology. The use of freeze-drying technology can lock in the original flavor of coffee to the greatest extent possible and extend the product's shelf life, and the market prospects are very promising, "he said.

On July 10th, Taiwanese businessmen visited a boutique coffee plantation in Baoshan. Photo by Shi Wenzhi

Kuang Yufang, a Taiwanese businessman who has settled in Yunnan for 26 years, discovered that in the past decade, Yunnan's coffee industry has undergone a leap from a primary agricultural product to a symbol of lifestyle. "Left hand coffee, right hand tea" has become a daily life for local people. She believes that although Yunnan coffee has built a complete industry chain and gradually moved towards branding, Taiwan's accumulation in coffee deep processing and market operation still has important value. As the Secretary General of the Yuntai Coffee Enterprise Alliance, she hopes to further promote the deep integration of the Yuntai coffee industry and push Yunnan specialty coffee to Taiwan and broader international markets.

Last September, I came to Baoshan for the first time and not only made friends with local coffee lovers, but also planted a coffee seedling symbolizing friendship in the Yuntai Coffee Memorial Forest on the eastern foot of Gaoligong Mountain. "Luo Lixiong, the head of a coffee plantation in Taiwan, said that he would discuss coffee roasting techniques between the two places online with coffee lovers in Baoshan on weekdays. Coming back this time, the experience will be even deeper. He believes that Yunnan has a superior climate and vast land, and if supplemented with Taiwan's exquisite agricultural technology, the yield and quality of coffee beans will definitely double.

In the past, I often heard Taiwanese coffee enthusiasts praise Yunnan coffee, and after experiencing it firsthand, it really lives up to its reputation. "Wang Lingjiao, the head of a coffee plantation in Taiwan who came to Yunnan for the first time, was attracted by Yunnan's unique coffee flavor. She hopes that in the future, the two places can strengthen cooperation in coffee breeding and flavor targeted cultivation, so that more Yunnan local customs can" land "in Taiwan.

During the visit, several Taiwanese businessmen specially brought local coffee beans from Taiwan to Yunnan, where they tasted and tasted together with their Yunnan counterparts, and exchanged ideas on coffee planting management, processing technology, quality control, and other related topics. Everyone has expressed that currently, Yunnan's coffee industry is in a critical window period for quality improvement and brand expansion. Coupled with the continuous optimization of the local business environment and increasingly convenient cross-border logistics, this will become an ideal place for Taiwanese coffee industry entrepreneurs to start businesses and find employment.

A cup of coffee, with flavors from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. During this visit, what came across the mountains and seas was not only the footsteps of searching for beans, but also a two-way journey about the flavor, technology, and future of Yuntai coffee. (End)