Have you heard of YunNan Coffee?

[goodbean4243]

I am trying to bring YunNan coffee to coffee lovers of the world, if anyone can show me a way; i.e. green coffee bean buyers, etc.; than much appreciated.

Where in the Heck is: Yunnan?
by Barbara Gerard

When you think of China and caffeine, to which beverage do your thoughts lead? Why, tea, of course. Oolang. Mandarin Spice. Ginseng. All familiar products. Well, now you can add coffee to the list. Yunnan-grown coffee.



Yunnan is a Chinese province located in the southern part of the country. The geographic and climatic features of the region are similar to those of Indonesia and parts of Colombia -- two areas famous for high-quality coffees.



The tropical area of Yunnan, which consists of over 26,000 hectares, is quite favorable for coffee cultivation. The mountains to the north protect coffee plantations from the cold winter air that brings freezing conditions to other parts. The low elevations in the south provide passage for the warm, moist air coming up from the Beibu Gulf and the Bay of Bengal. Yunnan coffee farmers can also thank the eastern and western river valleys which provide plenty of rainfall. Finally, the temperature varies greatly from night to day, which is important for the increase of photosynthesis -- a necessary ingredient when trying to cultivate high quality crops.

Although the international availability of Yunnan coffee is relatively recent, the first coffee seeds were introduced in the province in 1892 by a French missionary. The seeds were planted near Binchuan, a city located in one of the mountain valleys of the province. Today over thirty species are traced back to those original seeds, and all thirty continue to blossom and bear fruit.

Yunnan coffee’s first heyday was in the mid 1950s, when 4,000 hectares were available to harvest. Then, due mainly to restrictive economic conditions, by the mid-1970s the acreage devoted to coffee had shrunk to around 270 hectares. The next 20 years brought change to much of China’s society as well as its economy, and coffee farmers were once again encouraged by the government. This time, however, outside interests were also allowed access. By 1988, with assistance from the Yunnan Provincial Government, UNDP, and the Nestle Company, the number of acres devoted to coffee farming had reached the same high attained in the ‘50s. By the end of 1997, a record of 7,800 hectares was reached. Coffee farming is a popular crop amongst the farmers themselves. The work isn’t any easier than with other crops, but the income provided by coffee crops is much higher than that from any other industrial crop in Yunnan.

Lest you be concerned that such rapid growth will negatively affect the quality of the coffee itself, rest assured that both the government and the farmers seem to realize that a secure future is in quality. Resources are devoted to improving varietals for the Yunnan region, as well as making the beans available to the international market.

 

[Alun_evans]

While I wish you all the best, it would pay to do thorough research into thi before proceeding. I have cupped chinese arabica and, to be blunt, I am not a fan. This is not to say there is not a potential market for the coffee, because coming from a such unique part ofthe world will help sell the greens I am sure. Please see the roast magazine comments below:

Chinese coffee is something of an enigma, even to those in the coffee industry. Saddled with a reputation for poor quality and sold most often as instant coffee by Nestlé and other large companies, China's coffee is difficult to categorize and even more difficult to understand.
Part of this is due to the Chinese culture, which traditionally makes it challenging for outsiders to access information. This is compounded by the fact that there are no local coffee organizations to foster a better understanding of the coffee and to set industry standards. In addition, there was a time when China's coffee deserved its less-than-stellar reputation; but like all bad raps, this one has been difficult for the country to shake, even as the coffee has begun to improve.
"Chinese coffee is often considered to be a low-quality product and, in many cases, it is confused with Vietnamese coffee, but this is a very large misconception," says Stuart Eunson, managing director of Arabica Coffee Roasters in Beijing, China. "Over the last 10 years, Chinese coffee growers have made great progress in increasing the quality and consistency of the product they produce. While still in the developmental stages, Chinese coffee has become a good-quality product, and with some selective purchasing habits, a buyer can purchase very high-quality Chinese coffee now."



Cultivation



Over 80 percent of China's coffee is grown in the southernmost inland province of Yunnan, which boasts four or five growing regions, including Ruili and Baoshan. Robusta is also grown in Fujian and on Hainan Island, located along the southern coastline near Vietnam.
"Fujian and Hainan now produce very little coffee," says Eunson. "Yunnan is easily the largest producer in China, and is capable of producing a high-quality product. The climate, weather and terrain are ideal for coffee growing, and as with any coffee, those three conditions do affect the coffee flavor in a positive way.
Traditionally, China was home to large quantities of quality bourbon and typica plants brought from Burma (Myanmar) in the 1950s. But that has all changed. Today, most of China's coffee, almost as much as 70 percent, comes from the new catimor plants, a sturdy but poor-quality hybrid varietal designed to combat the country's problem with rust. Much of this changeover has been due to the large companies like Nestlé, which are providing the catimor plants to growers, along with training and incentives.
"The old varieties are still there," says David Roche, who visited China's coffee region a few years ago and who is chief technical director for the Coffee Quality Institute. "When I was there, from what I could glean, about 30 percent is probably the older varieties. But maybe half of those I saw were abandoned because of rust. I did see a couple of farms who were farming the old varieties, but they weren't taking the time to separate it out."
Although no national statistics on farm size were available, farms can range from very small to up to 5,000 acres. Many of the larger privately owned farms have contracts with large companies. There are also a large number of state-run farms.
The majority of the coffee is wet-processed, and at this point, very little is organically grown. "There are several farms trying to grow in an organic fashion, but only one is certified-organic so far," says Eunson.

Hurdles



While China's mountains and conditions are ideal for producing quality coffee, that isn't what happened. Instead, the biggest hurdle for China's growth in the specialty industry is probably the fact that the country has so little coffee that would qualify as specialty. And this doesn't seem likely to change soon. While the rust-resistant catimor varieties offer a solution to the country's struggles with disease, they often cup poorly, making it hard for the coffee to pass into the specialty realm.
Another hurdle is that very few people in the country drink quality coffee-or could even tell the difference between good and bad coffee. "There is no culture at all for coffee," says Roche. He recalls a cupping that he helped set up while he was in the growing region of Baoshan. "I got them to boil some water and showed them how to cup," he says. "The looks on their faces were, 'Oh my god, what are we doing?'"
According to Charffee Huang, vice-general manger of YL Coffee & Tea Ltd., one of the main and oldest exporters of Yunnan Coffee, both coffee production and consumption are increasing in the country but, he adds, "Tea will remain the main beverage form for many years, as it has been traditional for thousands of years."



Future



The encouraging news is that when Chinese coffee is good, it's good. When properly grown and processed, Chinese coffees have a light to medium body and a light to medium acidity, similar to a wet-processed South American coffee. "Under ideal conditions, it can be a nice, medium-bodied coffee with a light acidity," says Eunson. "It's generally a good clean coffee that is priced well."
And more of this good coffee can be expected in the future, thanks to advances by both growers and consumers. "Growers have seen that producing a high-quality coffee product will earn them more money, so they are working hard to produce a better product from year to year," says Eunson.
In addition, companies like Starbucks, which has 44 stores in Beijing alone, are starting to create a coffee culture inside this traditionally tea-oriented country. "More and more people are beginning to drink coffee, and in the major cities, people are learning about higher-quality fresh coffee from café chains like Starbucks," Eunson says.
As the demand for specialty coffee continues to grow around the world, China may become one of the countries that steps up to meet that demand, eradicating its reputation for poor quality by offering top-quality coffees to specialty consumers inside and outside its borders.

http://www.roastmagazine.com/roasting10 ... ating.html

 

[timheinze]

If you are located within China, I would love to send you a bag of our premium roast Hani Coffee. Check us out at hanicoffee.com. Message me if you would like to try it out!

Tim

 

[wmark]

A good friend of mine is a federal food inspector. He will not eat any products from China. I could go into details about what he said but I will not. I have also toured rural China and was appalled at what I saw as far as agricultural practices.

That said, I have no idea what they do with/about coffee.....but if their practices are consistent, then .....

 

[Coffeemanworld]

Looking for Chinese coffee providers

Hi,My name is Jairo Ortiz and I represent a coffee company interested in coffee supply from the south of China. I'm currently based in Beijing and will be soon traveling to Yunnan to meet producers.Please leave your contact details so I can share more infomation about the project. If you are or represent a producer I would be defientivley interested in visiting you.RegardsJairo

I am trying to bring YunNan coffee to coffee lovers of the world, if anyone can show me a way; i.e. green coffee bean buyers, etc.; than much appreciated.Where in the Heck is: Yunnan?by Barbara GerardWhen you think of China and caffeine, to which beverage do your thoughts lead? Why, tea, of course. Oolang. Mandarin Spice. Ginseng. All familiar products. Well, now you can add coffee to the list. Yunnan-grown coffee. Yunnan is a Chinese province located in the southern part of the country. The geographic and climatic features of the region are similar to those of Indonesia and parts of Colombia -- two areas famous for high-quality coffees. The tropical area of Yunnan, which consists of over 26,000 hectares, is quite favorable for coffee cultivation. The mountains to the north protect coffee plantations from the cold winter air that brings freezing conditions to other parts. The low elevations in the south provide passage for the warm, moist air coming up from the Beibu Gulf and the Bay of Bengal. Yunnan coffee farmers can also thank the eastern and western river valleys which provide plenty of rainfall. Finally, the temperature varies greatly from night to day, which is important for the increase of photosynthesis -- a necessary ingredient when trying to cultivate high quality crops.Although the international availability of Yunnan coffee is relatively recent, the first coffee seeds were introduced in the province in 1892 by a French missionary. The seeds were planted near Binchuan, a city located in one of the mountain valleys of the province. Today over thirty species are traced back to those original seeds, and all thirty continue to blossom and bear fruit.Yunnan coffee’s first heyday was in the mid 1950s, when 4,000 hectares were available to harvest. Then, due mainly to restrictive economic conditions, by the mid-1970s the acreage devoted to coffee had shrunk to around 270 hectares. The next 20 years brought change to much of China’s society as well as its economy, and coffee farmers were once again encouraged by the government. This time, however, outside interests were also allowed access. By 1988, with assistance from the Yunnan Provincial Government, UNDP, and the Nestle Company, the number of acres devoted to coffee farming had reached the same high attained in the ‘50s. By the end of 1997, a record of 7,800 hectares was reached. Coffee farming is a popular crop amongst the farmers themselves. The work isn’t any easier than with other crops, but the income provided by coffee crops is much higher than that from any other industrial crop in Yunnan.Lest you be concerned that such rapid growth will negatively affect the quality of the coffee itself, rest assured that both the government and the farmers seem to realize that a secure future is in quality. Resources are devoted to improving varietals for the Yunnan region, as well as making the beans available to the international market.

 

[chrismartyn]

Re:

Yes I have heard a lot about it, but still not sure its good or not. Will appreciate if someone can help me out.

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