China's Yunnan province diversifies into coffee as demand grows
China's Yunnan province is the historical birthplace of tea and one of the country's most prolific tea producers, known especially for its many black tea varieties. But recently farmers have been making the jump from leaf to bean in search of better financial returns. While per capita consumption of coffee in China remains modest, it has seen double-digit growth in the last decade, as young people are more willing to shell out more for coffee. There is also growing demand from foreign buyers. One of the biggest buyers is Nestlé, which purchased 11,500 tons of Yunnan-grown green coffee beans from about 2,200 farmers last year. The Swiss company expects to increase that number to 15,000 tons by 2015. Other international coffee companies interested in Arabica beans grown in Yunnan include Starbucks and Maxwell Coffee. Last year, Yunnan's coffee exports increased 38% and totaled 42,000 tons, representing $150 million in value.