2026 International (Kunshan) Specialty Coffee Exhibition and Kunshan Coffee Industry Development Promotion Conference concludes successfully
Publisher: China Coffee Network / Sep 28, 2026
A thousand-billion-scale coffee hub, a taste of Kunshan. On September 24, the opening ceremony of the 2026 International (Kunshan) Specialty Coffee Exhibition and Kunshan Coffee Industry Development Promotion Conference was held at the Kunshan International Convention and Exhibition Center. Over three days and more than 20,000 square meters of exhibition space, more than 230 quality brands from 21 countries gathered, with coffee, trendy lifestyles and fun experiences presented together.
In the exhibition halls, specialty coffee beans from around the world, coffee equipment and trendy coffee products were showcased. Visitors could look, taste and try things out, with all kinds of fun interactions and giveaways staged in turn, creating an immersive coffee carnival. Consuls general of several countries in Shanghai, representatives of overseas cities, industry capital, universities, leading enterprises across the supply chain, and international coffee competition judges and champion baristas gathered at the opening ceremony to discuss new opportunities in the coffee industry.
Kunshan has now built a complete coffee industry chain covering green bean trading and distribution, platform transactions, R&D and roasting, brand sales and equipment manufacturing. Guests at the event said that Kunshan’s coffee industry is mature, its industrial resources highly concentrated and its development potential enormous. They look forward to using this exhibition as an opportunity to deepen cooperation in cross-border green bean trade, joint brand development, industry talent exchange and the integration of cultural tourism and consumption, promoting complementary resources and helping Kunshan connect with global coffee resources to become an international specialty coffee hub.
At the opening ceremony, Fan Jianqing, deputy secretary of the Kunshan Municipal Party Committee and mayor of Kunshan, welcomed everyone on behalf of the municipal party committee and government and presented the city’s coffee industry development. He said that in recent years Kunshan has actively responded to the national Belt and Road Initiative, built on the broad market prospects of coffee, leveraged its location at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta, and seized opportunities to “create something from nothing, tailored to local conditions,” building a globally renowned coffee industry chain. Kunshan will continue to cultivate the “sweet business” in coffee, using coffee as a medium to connect city and countryside, industry and cultural tourism, work and life, so that “one cup of coffee, one city” becomes Kunshan’s most distinctive urban trait and brightest industrial hallmark. He expressed the hope that more partners will place their beans in Kunshan, land their projects in Kunshan and entrust their dreams to Kunshan, working together to spread the aroma of “Kunshan coffee” around the world and polish the city’s card as an “international capital of the coffee industry.”
Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer and exporter. The Consul General of Brazil in Shanghai said on site that domestic consumer demand for specialty coffee continues to rise, that China-Brazil coffee trade has broad room for growth, and that he looks forward to using coffee as a bridge to continue deepening economic and trade cooperation and achieving mutual benefit.
As a global benchmark brand in specialty coffee, Blue Bottle Coffee drew considerable industry attention. Sha Xiaochuan, executive director of Centurium Capital and director of Blue Bottle Coffee, said outright that Kunshan’s complete coffee industry support gives Blue Bottle more confidence to put down roots. Leveraging its global resources, Blue Bottle will combine specialty coffee R&D experience with Kunshan’s industrial strengths, attracting professionals and quality projects to the city, continuing to refine coffee products and supporting Kunshan’s development as a “coffee capital.”
Sun Lei, world runner-up and Chinese champion of the World Barista Championship, also spoke highly of Kunshan’s coffee ecosystem. In his view, Kunshan combines the speed of its supply chain, the depth of its manufacturing and the heat of its consumer market, and has the determination to turn a cup of coffee into a complete industrial ecosystem. He looks forward to sparking more innovation on this fertile ground so that the world can see the strength of Chinese specialty coffee through a single cup.
Major projects landed one after another at the opening ceremony, with the Blue Bottle Coffee Global Innovation Center officially settling in Kunshan. Previously, the first Luckin Coffee roasting production base in East China under Centurium Capital had already landed in Kunshan; as Centurium Capital completed its acquisition of Blue Bottle Coffee’s global business, a dual-brand layout of “Luckin + Blue Bottle” took shape. The arrival of Blue Bottle’s global innovation center will, through its high-end brand influence and cutting-edge roasting and R&D capabilities, further raise the industry reputation of “making coffee in Kunshan” and push the city’s coffee industry chain toward branding and higher added value.
On site, world coffee champions, international judges and overseas guests were also appointed as industry ambassadors for Kunshan, the “coffee capital.” The Kunshan Coffee Industry College was unveiled and an industry-academia-research cooperation alliance was established at the same time; the nation’s first batch of SCA barista equivalency vocational skill level certificates was officially issued. A number of industrial chain projects and industrial financial credit lines were signed in a concentrated session, and brand stores of the Penglang Coffee Town moved in collectively. The event also released the list of the year’s most popular coffee brands, gold medal coffee beans, outstanding craftsmen and excellent coffee traders.
Notably, the event specially invited the musician Lu Zhongqiang to create the “Coffee Capital Theme Song” — “Shuimo Kunka” — performed live by local artisans, blending the elegance of Kunqu opera’s “shuimo” style with the aroma of coffee to sing a new urban melody that belongs to Kunshan.
Correspondent: Kun Xuan
Proofreader: Tao Shangong
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