Coffee bazaar to perk up Yunnan production
Hundreds of coffee professionals, dozens of coffee shops, service providers as well as coffee samples from 10 regions in Yunnan Province were showcased in the city over the weekend.
A detailed coffee flavor map for Yunnan will be compiled from tasting feedback for trading companies, purchasing agents and coffee lovers.
Nearly 800 Q-Graders, who are professionals accredited by the Coffee Quality Institute with skills in coffee sensory evaluation, gathered and tasted coffee beans to offer their descriptions of the particular flavors of Yunnan coffee beans.
The three-day coffee tasting event
Hundreds of samples from 10 major coffee bean production regions and plants in Yunnan were brought to Shanghai with nearly a dozen tasting sessions held over the three day fair, jointly hosted by the Torch Coffee Lab and Hongqiao International Coffee Harbor.
Apart from famous coffee bean regions such as Baoshan and Pu'er, it also included coffee from Dehong, Mojiang, Jiangcheng and other areas lesser known to the general public.
Industry experts expect Shanghai's position as a consumption hub as well as trading center will be further elevated.
Coffee tasting sessions will provide information for a detailed coffee flavor map for Yunnan.
It's the third year for Torch Coffee Lab to release the Coffee Flavor Map and this year the first bazaar of such a kind brought together industry players, marking an important step to help Yunnan coffee's particular flavor and quality to be recognized.
CEO of Torch Coffee Lab Marty Pollack said the size of the tasting sessions had grown nearly 10 times with around 80 graders participated at the inaugural event in 2021. This year's guide will be complied and released within one or two months.
"I've seen great enthusiasm from local coffee professionals to do voluntary work to help promote Yunnan coffee," he added.
Each year it selects round 400 to 500 samples from different coffee plants in Yunnan to reflect the authenticity of the product origins as much as possible.
More than 60 vendors of specialty cafe, chocolate, ice cream, coffee machines as well as raw coffee beans gathered at the coffee bazaar at the Hongqiao International Coffee Harbor.
Zhu Jing, deputy general manager of the Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center, explained that the event connects industry partners and allows a better understanding of Yunnan coffee for industry players from both home and abroad.
Accredited coffee professionals have been busy tasting Yunnan coffee beans.
The Shanghai International Coffee Harbor which is a part of the trading center, serves as a platform for coffee businesses of various sizes for trading as well as retail. It regards the fair as a great occasion to promote greater awareness and enthusiasm for specialty coffee.
Nestle's latest offering of coffee cherry tea at the bazaar also attracted attention as the new raw materials coming from coffee bean leftovers have offered an innovative taste for coffee related drinks.
New trends in coffee consumption continue to evolve, explained Alfonso Troisi, senior vice president of the coffee business unit of Nestle China.
"Over the past three years there has been huge development in mixing coffee with other ingredients in China as consumers pursue innovative tastes," he said.
He also noted that as the trend for exploring innovative tastes for coffee will continue, the pursue for pure coffee tastes is also growing.
It plans to cater to coffee consumption under different scenario with various product types.
The coffee bazaar brought together vendors, coffee lovers and industry participants with an aim of promoting Yunnan coffee.
China has more than 700 coffee chain store operators and Shanghai has the largest number of coffee shops, with 8,500 shops of various size and tastes, according to a latest study by Meituan and CBN Data.
Specialty coffee flavors have gained strong momentum. Apart from getting refreshed, customers also regard coffee as an indispensable part of daily life to reflect their individual tastes and preference.
Major instant coffee and chain coffee shops dominate with more than half of market share.
The increase in delivery service has also been evident with more than 130 percent compound annual growth over the past three years.
