Pu'er: Extracting riches from a tiny coffee bean

Modern coffee estates that integrate coffee cultivation, production, tourism, accommodation and dining have naturally played their role in promoting the differentiated development of the coffee industry in Pu'er.

As a coffee-growing region characterized by picturesque landscapes and a favorable climate, Pu'er offers visitors not only a cup of coffee, but also an immersive experience from handpicking beans to making their own coffee, which sets the southwestern city apart from major coffee-consumption hubs such as Beijing and Shanghai, said Liu Haifeng, executive vice-president of the Yunnan International Coffee Exchange.

Zhang Rui now operates a coffee estate under her family company in Pu'er that, in addition to tourists, attracts school groups with its research center and the first coffee culture museum on the Chinese mainland. She said the estate receives an average of more than 100 visitors per day, with summer vacations and the harvest period from October to February being peak seasons.

Similar to its peers in Yunnan, Zhang Rui's estate was not designed for tourism when it was established in 2013. Rather, it gradually evolved in response to emerging trends and the government's intensified efforts to develop coffee tourism in 2022. The facilities in these estates may not be as visitor-friendly as dedicated resorts.

As a stimulus for estate owners, the government of Yunnan province held its first selection of specialty coffee estates in 2022, when 10 were recognized, with three from Pu'er. Among the four estates that made it onto the list last year, two of them are from Pu'er.

Contact the writers at irisli@chinadailyhk.com