China - Guiben

This coffee originates from a remote part of Yunnan, in an area traditionally famous for its exceptional tea. East of Pu’er City and close to the Laos border, the region is home to many ethnic minorities including Hani, Miao, Dai and others.

The production of this coffee is spearheaded by Mr Tian Cai, who is the Farm Operations Manager for our origin partners, Yunnan Coffee Traders (YCT), with family member Mr Tang managing the farm on a day to day basis. They belong to a small group of farmer families in the Guiben region of Yunnan province. Cherries are grown by these farms as well as purchased directly from nearby smallholder farmers.

Mr Tian Cai and Mr Tang’s principal motivations with the production of specialty coffee are two-fold- bringing sustainable livelihoods to their families and those of the local smallholder farmers in the surrounding area as well as returning the land back to being more biodiverse - many farms focus on one cash crop such as bananas. As a result, they are planting macadamia trees, mangoes, oranges among the tea and coffee fields. Only organic fertiliser used, supplied by YCT.

Having spent time with Mr Tian Cai through our regular trips to Yunnan, he is an inspirational and talented coffee producer who is personally invested in both the people and the land. He’s the reason why these coffees are some of the best Chinese specialty coffees we’ve cupped since we started the business. We are really proud to be working with him and the rest of the YCT team to bring these wonderful coffees to a wider audience – the potential here is huge.

Indochina has worked in partnership with YCT since we first began importing coffees to the UK in 2016.As a pioneer of the Chinese specialty coffee industry in Menglian County, Yunnan Province, YCT operates farming, mill, research, and training facilities. Its mission is

three-fold :

- Create opportunities for Yunnan farmers to engage in sustainable production practices.

- Employ industry best-practices for sourcing, processing, wholesaling, and exporting coffees.

- Supply coffee to importers and roasters who care about sustainability, traceability, and transparency