How much yunnan coffee has Starbucks purchased in a decade?
Starbucks China has disclosed its Yunnan coffee procurement figures for the first time: 56,433 tons of coffee beans purchased over ten years, including 99 tons graded as Reserve-quality, and 43,000 tons exported to markets in Europe, America, and Asia. The data covers the decade since the company's Coffee Farmer Support Center began operating in Pu'er on December 12, 2012.
The center was Starbucks' first in China and in the Asia Pacific region, and its stated role has gone beyond buying beans from the coffee farm level, extending to technical support for growers. The company also uses its network of more than 6,000 stores nationwide as a promotional platform for Yunnan coffee brands, positioning the region's beans for wider international visibility.
Starbucks China recently released detailed data on its coffee bean procurement and exports in Yunnan for the first time. Since December 12, 2012, when Starbucks China and Asia Pacific's first Coffee Farmer Support Center began operations in Pu'er, Starbucks has purchased a total of 56,433 tons of coffee beans in Yunnan over the past decade, including 99 tons of Reserve-grade high-quality coffee beans, and 43,000 tons of Yunnan coffee beans have been exported through Starbucks to markets in Europe, America, and Asia. Beyond procurement and support, Starbucks also leverages its promotional platform of over 6,000 stores nationwide to help Yunnan coffee brands reach the world. This article provides a comprehensive review of Starbucks' ten years of cultivation in Yunnan and the latest developments in Yunnan's coffee industry.
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Recently, Starbucks China made an unprecedented public disclosure of core data including the volume of coffee beans purchased in Yunnan and the scale of exports, presenting from multiple dimensions the phased achievements of the brand's rooting in Yunnan and its promotion of the local coffee industry's upgrading.
Going back to December 12, 2012, Starbucks' first Coffee Farmer Support Center in China, and also the first in the Asia Pacific region, was officially inaugurated and began operations in Pu'er, Yunnan. In the blink of an eye, this support center has now passed a full decade. According to data released by Starbucks China, over the past ten years, Starbucks has purchased a cumulative total of 56,433 tons of coffee beans from Yunnan, including 99 tons of the more outstanding "Reserve coffee beans"; at the same time, a total of 43,000 tons of Yunnan-produced coffee beans have been sold far and wide to countries in Europe, America, and Asia through Starbucks' channels.
For Yunnan's coffee industry, the role played by Starbucks China goes far beyond that of a buyer and technical supporter; it is also a powerful promotional channel with more than 6,000 stores across the country. Over the past decade, the staff stationed at Starbucks' Yunnan Farmer Support Center has grown from one person initially to twenty-eight; more than 30,000 coffee farmers have received professional training and technical guidance provided free of charge by Starbucks; and the number of farms that have passed the "Coffee and Farmer Equity Practices certification" has reached 2,860, with a total certified area of 340,300 mu.
John Culver, president of Starbucks China and Asia Pacific, previously pointed out that the establishment of the Starbucks China Coffee Farmer Support Center is an important symbol of Starbucks' continued investment in the Chinese market and the Yunnan coffee project. Through close collaboration with the Yunnan Provincial Government and the Pu'er Municipal Government, the connection between Starbucks and Chinese coffee farmers has been further strengthened. As Starbucks continues to accelerate the expansion of its retail stores and strives to meet its store targets, Yunnan has always occupied a key strategic position in ensuring the long-term supply of high-quality Arabica coffee beans.
Yunnan is the region most suitable for coffee cultivation in China, with a coffee-growing history of more than 130 years. It has now built a complete industrial chain, and its planting area, output, and agricultural output value all account for more than 98% of the national total. According to 2021 statistics from Yunnan's agricultural authorities, even against the backdrop of shrinking planting area and output, the total output value of Yunnan's entire coffee industry chain still reached 31.672 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1.72%, setting a new record high.
The quality and reputation of Yunnan coffee beans are already far removed from what they once were. In addition to Starbucks, brands such as Nestlé, KFC, Luckin, Seesaw, and M Stand also launched a number of Yunnan coffee bean products during the year. Whether international giants or emerging local coffee forces, Yunnan coffee beans have become an almost indispensable choice for them.
In 2011, when the first Starbucks store in Kunming opened, it was bustling with crowds; at that time, going to Starbucks for coffee was still regarded as a trendy lifestyle. Now, Starbucks has opened nearly 50 stores in Kunming and has launched a cumulative total of ten specialty Reserve Yunnan coffees for the Chinese market, cultivating a group of loyal "Yunnan coffee fans."
The arrival of Starbucks agronomists brought Yunnan not only knowledge of growing high-quality coffee and the concept of scientific cultivation, but also introduced the thinking of "specialty coffee" to the local area. It is reported that over the past decade, Starbucks agronomists have traveled to 68 townships across Yunnan, with a cumulative driving distance of about 480,000 kilometers, equivalent to circling the Earth once every year.
Starbucks not only invests heavily in manpower, materials, and funding, but also continuously uses its own brand influence to provide strong endorsement for the quality of Yunnan coffee, actively boosting the brand building of Yunnan coffee and helping Yunnan coffee go abroad and shine on a broader international stage.
Image source: Internet
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
