Yunnan's coffee unveiled at Universiade

Universiade, has frequently visited the coffee robot at the Universiade Village to order coffee. With its two robust and nimble "arms," the coffee robot swiftly prepares a steaming cup of coffee in less than a minute. The coffee robot has become a sensation in the Chengdu Universiade Village. Over 2,000 cups of coffee are sold every day.

As the officially designated coffee brand, Yiding Coffee has set up more than ten locations in various venues of the Universiade. The staff enthusiastically tells athletes worldwide the story of the small coffee beans from Baoshan city, which is 1,000 kilometers away.

Longyang district, Lujiangba, west Yunnan's Baoshan city, is the hometown of Coffea Arabica. The average annual temperature there is 21.3℃, with 2,334.5 hours of sunshine per year and a temperature difference of up to 16℃ between day and night. The annual rainfall ranges from 700 to 1,000 millimeters, making it an ideal environment with high temperatures, ample sunshine, and almost no frost throughout the year. With the blessings of the gurgling springs and volcanic ash soil of the Gaoligong Mountains, this area provides the best environment for growing coffee beans.

Huang Jiaxiong, the chief coffee expert at the Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops of Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, explained that the cultivation history of Coffea Arabica dates back a long time. In 1952, the institute introduced coffee seedlings. Now, with refined picking and processing, the coffee cupping score can reach above 80 points and get the "specialty coffee" badge of honor.

In recent years, the planting area of high-quality and high-priced Coffee Arabica in Baoshan has been continuously expanding.

In 2022, the coffee planting area in Longyang district reached 116,000 mu (about 7733 hectares), with a total output of 20,000 tons of coffee beans. The coffee industry in the region involved 15,000 households and over 50,000 people, achieving a total industry output value of 4.01 billion yuan, making it one of China's largest producing and selling regions of roasted coffee. 

"We have replaced coffee from different regions domestically and overseas with Baoshan coffee because of its unique flavor—strong but not bitter, fragrant but not overwhelming, with a slight hint of fruitiness," said Ding Zhi, the founder of Yiding Coffee. 

Ding sees potential for domestic coffee in Coffea Arabica. "I want to prove that domestically produced coffee is not inferior to foreign coffee; in fact, the quality is even better!" Ding said.

Ding has contracted two mountains in Baoshan and cooperated with local farmers to establish cooperatives and coffee planting bases. He planted around 3,000 mu (about 200 hectares) of coffee trees, focusing solely on planting Coffea Arabica. 

From planting coffee trees to manually picking and processing the raw beans, roasting the coffee beans, and grinding out a cup of aromatic coffee, the entire chain ensures the quality of the coffee with strict control throughout the entire process.

As the designated coffee brand for the FISU World University Games 2023, Yiding Coffee provides 200,000 cups of coffee and related services for the Chengdu Universiade. The journey of Chinese coffee stepping onto the international stage has just begun.

Source: Xinhua; trans-editing by Guo Yao