Yunnan coffee used to be a nobody—mostly bought in bulk for instant coffee production.But within two years, thanks to the popularity of the movie Coffee or Tea? and the rise of Chinese coffee brands, Yunnan coffee has become highly sought after.

According to data from the Yunnan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs' November 24, 2021, document "Yunnan Province's 14th Five-Year Plan for Building a World-Class 'Green Food Brand'", the comprehensive output value of Yunnan's coffee industry reached 31.14 billion yuan, with a planting area of 1.5 million mu and a production volume of 131,000 tons. Both the planting area and production account for over 95% of the national total. The scale of specialty coffee cultivation and processing continues to expand, while efforts to expand the market and build the brand are accelerating.

By the end of November, about one-third of Yunnan's coffee-producing regions had begun official harvesting. Industry insiders report that the quality of freshly harvested cherries is decent, and the total output of the new season is expected to be higher than the previous one.

On November 23, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China announced that coffee harvesting in Menglian County, Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, had begun. Thanks to favorable weather, the harvest season started two weeks earlier than usual. As of November, Menglian County had 107,400 mu of coffee plantations, with 16,081 coffee-growing households totaling 61,000 people. In 2021, the county produced 6,791 tons of coffee, and the 2022 output is expected to reach around 7,200 tons.

According to Xinhua News Agency on December 7, the Xinhua·Yunnan (Pu'er) Coffee Price Index remained high and stable. On December 3, the index stood at 1,640.90 points, up 640.90 points from its base period (November 3, 2017), a rise of 64.09%.

The average price for specialty grade 2 was 54.60 yuan/kg, specialty grade 3 averaged 47.76 yuan/kg, premium grade averaged 31.78 yuan/kg, commercial grade 1 averaged 29.75 yuan/kg, commercial grade 2 averaged 18.80 yuan/kg, and commercial grade 3 averaged 13.00 yuan/kg.

The Xinhua·Yunnan (Pu'er) Coffee Price Index is jointly compiled and published by China Economic Information Service, the People's Government of Pu'er City, Yunnan Province, and the Yunnan International Coffee Exchange. It aims to objectively reflect the price trends of Yunnan coffee in the market and provide pricing references and decision-making support.

The quality of Yunnan coffee is there for all to see—from being recognized as a Class 1 product by the International Coffee Organization (ICO) in recent years to Pu'er coffee being included in the first batch of protected products under the China-EU Geographical Indications Agreement. As China's coffee market grows, domestic specialty coffee and emerging new tea beverage brands are gaining traction, with more professionals stationed in or collaborating with Yunnan. Yunnan coffee is gradually moving toward premiumization and sustainability.