Fuzhou, June 8th (Xinhua) – "One ingredient is the charm of a city, and jasmine is the calling card of Fuzhou city. Only by integrating local ingredients into coffee can we create a unique flavor that belongs to Fuzhou," said Guo Yifan, a Taiwanese youth born in the 1990s and founder of the "Dai Coffee" brand, in a recent interview in Fuzhou.
In 2016, Guo Yifan aimed at the vast mainland market and crossed the strait to start a business in Fuzhou. He said, "When I came to Fuzhou from Taiwan, I fell in love with the ancient houses and fireworks here at first sight. At the beginning of opening the store, I made up my mind to embed the coffee industry into the cultural context of Fuzhou's ancient houses, and let the drinks carry the local flavor of this city
Guo Yifan established a differentiated route of integrating ancient houses with coffee, and gradually laid out stores in historical districts such as Shangxiahang and Aofengfang in Fuzhou, integrating Western style coffee into the streets and alleys of the old city.
In order to make coffee rooted in Rongcheng and fit the local temperament, Guo Yifan has integrated local flavors into beverage research and development. Relying on local specialty ingredients such as jasmine and peanuts, he innovatively creates exclusive drinks such as jasmine tea special notes and peanut butter latte, allowing coffee to be infused with the strong atmosphere of Fujian's fireworks.
In March 2025, Guo Yifan (right) controls the roasting process of coffee beans at the Mawei Coffee Baking Factory in Fuzhou. (Image provided by interviewee)
At present, "Diaochao" has opened three direct operated stores in Fuzhou. With steady business expansion, Guo Yifan will establish a coffee roasting factory in Mawei, Fuzhou in 2023. He introduced that the Mawei Coffee Baking Factory gathers high-quality coffee beans from many parts of the world and can provide customized roasting services according to market and customer needs. It provides stable supply for dozens of coffee shops in Fujian, with a monthly output of 8 to 10 tons of coffee beans and an annual supply of over 100 tons.
Over the past decade, Guo Yifan has witnessed the changes in the coffee industry in Fuzhou. When he first arrived in Fuzhou, the culture of specialty coffee had not yet become popular; Nowadays, the demand for coffee consumption among the public continues to upgrade, and the requirements for beverage quality and production technology are constantly increasing. The trend of industry standardization and quality development is becoming increasingly evident.
With the rapid expansion of the coffee consumption market in Fuzhou, Guo Yifan has entered universities to carry out advanced coffee talent training and continue to promote deep cooperation between schools and enterprises. He also collaborates with the coffee industry resources on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, launching supporting services such as entrepreneurship incubation, supply chain docking, job recommendations, and store operation guidance, to help young practitioners from both sides of the Taiwan Strait root in the industry and steadily grow.
I want to use my personal experience to tell more Taiwanese youth that the mainland has vast development space, and as long as they work hard and diligently, they can achieve their dreams. "Speaking of the future, Guo Yifan said that he will continue to cultivate the characteristic business of Gucuo Coffee, expand the brand scale, deepen the integration of industry, academia and research, and use coffee as a medium to build a bridge for regular exchanges between young people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. (End)