Coffee production in China began on a small scale in the late 1800’s. It expanded somewhat in the 1960’s, but did not really gain traction until the 1980’s. In the 80’s, the Chinese Government and the United Nations – along with a multi-national coffee roasting company – put money into new plantings and processing infrastructure. Over the last four or five years the China coffee market has made significant leaps in both quality and volume. Rapidly growing internal consumption along with the increasing government support and a new focus on careful processing are helping China take its place in the global specialty coffee market. Thanks to all this investment, education and hard work, in 2018, China made it into the top twenty of producing countries by volume, cranking out upwards of 2,000,000 bags.
Coffee thrives in western Yunnan, along the border with Myanmar, at elevations ranging from 900-1750 masl. The main sub-regions for for coffee growing are Pu’er, Baoshan, Dehong and Menglian.
The majority of the coffee grown in Yunnan is Catimor, though numerous public and private entities are in the early stages of experimenting with new varietals. Processing experiments are also underway. Atlas first visited China in 2014, and since then we’ve been back numerous times to visit farms, participate in conference and educational programs, and establish relationships with growers and exporters.
We’re thrilled in 2019 to finally be bringing in micro lots through some of the fine folks we’ve met there during our travels. Please see the “High Res Asset Kit / HRAK” link on this page for specific lot details.