The coffee from Pu'er in Southwest China's Yunnan Province.Screenshot of Dacankao.com

Most people's first reaction when mentioning Pu'er in Southwest China's Yunnan Province may be the famous Pu'er tea. However, it is also the largest coffee production base in China. 

Pu'er native Zhang Rui's grandmother and mother began to grow coffee as early as 25 years ago in order to export the raw material for little income. But at the end of 2018, when coffee prices continued to fall, many people decided to cut them down to plant corns. At that time, Zhang was studying in Italy, specialized in coffee research. During that period, she investigated many world-famous coffee companies, and tried to find why Yunnan, one of the most suitable areas for growing coffee in the world, had no well-known coffee brands. After graduation, she resolutely returned to her hometown to spread the advanced technology of planting coffee.

By chance, she sold 20 kilograms of green coffee beans to a Hong Kong SAR trader, and the beans were finely processed and sold for about $230 per pound, which helped establish her own brand. She and her mother now manage a 6.67-square-kilometer coffee field, with a scientific research center and a coffee culture museum. 

Through their efforts, four poverty-stricken villages have become rich, while local farmers are highly motivated to grow coffee as their pillar industry.