Yunnan coffee brews China's rise in the premium coffee world

On March 19, Chinese President Xi Jinping was invited for a cup of coffee in the Old Town of Lijiang, Yunnan province, where he remarked that Yunnan coffee represents China. Xi's words resonated with Eric Baden, a Shanghai-based German coffee entrepreneur who has been involved in the Yunnan coffee business for over a decade. "Chinese coffee is playing an increasingly important role in the world," Baden says. "As Chinese coffee is almost entirely from Yunnan, saying that Yunnan coffee can represent China in the world makes perfect sense."