Kunming, December 6 (Xinhua) — A cup of coffee wafts from the mountains of Yunnan to the world
Baoshan already has a mature boutique coffee processing and production process, and creates a pure taste unique to Yunnan coffee, "said German coffee entrepreneur Eric Baden after inspecting several coffee estates and tasting Baoshan small grain coffee.
From December 4th to 6th, the 2nd International Fine Coffee Industry Development Conference was held in Baoshan City, Yunnan Province. Coffee companies and research experts from multiple countries and regions, including China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, etc., gathered together to share the latest research results and technical experience, and explore the current situation and future of the global coffee industry.
On the 5th, foreign guests from various countries visited the coffee plantations and enterprises in Baoshan to observe the entire process of coffee cultivation, processing, and production in the area.
This is a fresh coffee fruit from the coffee planting base in Xinzhai Village, Lujiang Town, Longyang District, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province (taken on December 5th). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Cailin
With our own coffee plantation and production line, we can allow more people to taste the delicious Baoshan small grain coffee, "said Ding Zhi, the chairman of Yiding Coffee Estate." I can't wait to promote Baoshan Gaoligongshan premium coffee to the world
Ding Zhi has been in contact with Baoshan small grain coffee for nearly 16 years. In 2008, he opened a coffee shop in Chengdu and came to Yunnan to make friends with Baoshan Xiaoli Coffee because he wanted to find his most satisfying coffee.
Baoshan, Yunnan is located at the northernmost point of the golden belt for coffee cultivation, with Gaoligong Mountain to the west and Nu River to the east. The unique dry and hot valley climate creates unique conditions for coffee cultivation. Baoshan small grain coffee has a history of more than 70 years and is popular for its unique flavor of "strong but not bitter, fragrant but not strong, with a slight acidity".
In Ding Zhi's eyes, Baoshan has the basic conditions such as soil, climate, and variety to produce a good cup of coffee, and more importantly, it has standardized coffee cultivation and excellent deep processing technology.
Pregnant in October, the beans are ripe and the stems have fallen. On the banks of the Nu River in western Yunnan in December, fresh coffee fruits with a bright red color adorn the branches, welcoming the harvest season for busy coffee farmers who have been busy all year round. Coffee farmers say that it takes nearly 10 months for a bean to bloom and harvest as a fresh coffee fruit, plus later processing and fermentation, to become a rich and fragrant cup of coffee. The entire process takes nearly a year.
German coffee entrepreneur Eric Baden experiences fresh coffee fruit picking at his coffee plantation in Xinzhai Village, Lujiang Town, Longyang District, Baoshan City, Yunnan Province (photo taken on December 5th). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhao Cailin
Coffee has accumulated the taste of time, and Baoshan small grain coffee is a microcosm of the development of premium coffee in China, "said Hu Faguang, director of the Coffee Research Center at the Tropical and Subtropical Economic Crop Research Institute of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Baoshan small grain coffee has been introduced since 1952 and has developed for more than 70 years, paving the way for high-quality development of premium coffee from exporting raw beans to importing and deep processing.
Hu Faguang introduced that the Institute of Heat Economics of Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences is one of the earliest coffee research institutions in Yunnan Province. In recent years, the institute has independently selected and bred new coffee varieties such as "Yunka 1", "Yunka 2", "Yunka 3", and "Zifei", and has successively completed the transformation and production of some new varieties. In the future, it will also launch 22 "Yunka" new varieties with independent intellectual property rights.
We want to breed coffee varieties that are most suitable for growing in Yunnan and can highlight the flavor of Yunnan, and build a standard system suitable for coffee production and planting in Yunnan. Hu Faguang believes that only by putting more effort into scientific research can we continuously empower the coffee industry.
At present, Yunnan has developed into the province with the largest scale of coffee cultivation in China, and its output ranks first in the country. In 2023, the total output value of Baoshan Coffee's entire industry chain will reach 7.6 billion yuan, and it has coffee trade relations with 22 countries including Vietnam, Uganda, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Timor Leste, Japan, and South Korea.
Coffee makes the world no distance, "said a Japanese foreign guest after visiting Baoshan. From the bright red coffee fruits to the mellow black coffee beans, and then to the rich and fragrant cup of coffee in people's hands, the story of Yunnan coffee wafting through the world continues to be written.