Yunnan's specialty beans generate buzz in global coffee sector

For over a decade, German entrepreneur Eric Baden, known in China as "Coffee Laolin", has been a pivotal force in promoting Yunnan's specialty coffee beans. Since founding the brand Coffee Commune in Shanghai in 2016, he has shuttled between Southwest China's Yunnan province and Shanghai, introducing advanced planting, processing, and roasting techniques to help local growers shift from bulk production to premium coffee.

His efforts have elevated the global status of Yunnan coffee, and he has witnessed its remarkable ascent.

"Before 2020, promoting Yunnan coffee was incredibly tough. Everyone wanted foreign beans; no one believed China had good coffee," Baden recalls. "Now, there's no difficulty at all, but you must be prepared for well-informed customers asking questions like, 'Which region in Yunnan is this coffee from? What processing method was used?'"