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YUNNAN : In tea-loving China, having a cuppa in a gourmet coffee lounge is fast becoming a symbol of status for the young and affluent in the cities.
What they may not realise is that their regular brew could soon come from their very own backyard.
The province of Yunnan is already well-known for its tea leaves. And as the main supplier and exporter of coffee beans in China, more and more international coffee makers are turning to the province for beans.
Starbucks, for instance, will start procuring Chinese beans starting this year. That spells good news for Chinese farmers who have been cultivating and processing the beans for an international market for years.
The plantations do more than just producing 98 per cent of the country's coffee supply. They are also the livelihood of some 2,000 rural households, contracted by Hogu Coffee to grow and harvest the berries for a stable income.
15-year-old Jin Yanguo picks berries from the family plot on weekends, when he is not in school.
He makes US$0.25 for every kilogramme of berries he picks - hardly enough for even the cheapest drink on Starbucks' menu. But it is good enough for him and his family, who also grow other crops for a living.
"Life isn't as hard as before. We couldn't make much money in the past, but life's better now that we grow coffee. I can study with peace of mind as I don't have to worry about paying my school fees any more," said Jin.
It takes three years for a coffee plant to produce berries. Ripe red fruits are picked, after which they are stripped of the flesh for the beans before they are washed and sun-dried.
October to March is the busiest period for Jin, since more beans ripen every two weeks. And it is likely to get busier.
"Coffee consumers in China are growing at 10 per cent yearly. There's a huge market waiting," explained Peng Zhongren, deputy general manager of Hogu Coffee.
Hogu Coffee owns 20 hectares of coffee plantations that produce 5,000 tonnes of coffee beans every year.
It plans to increase its acreage of highland coffee and upgrade its processing facilities.
"Yunnan's Arabica coffee is well-known in the industry here and abroad. Coffee takes a longer time to ripen in high altitudes, usually at over 1,400 metres above sea level, and that leads to a higher concentration of flavour in the berries, producing finer coffee," said Peng. - CNA /ls
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