Lincang city in southwest China's Yunnan Province has seen significant growth in its coffee sector, with a planting area reaching 290,000 mu by the end of 2025. Production is expected to hit 25,000 tonnes this year, accounting for 18 percent of Yunnan's total output. Local estates and policies are driving expansion and international recognition.
Lincang city, located in the global golden belt for coffee cultivation, ended 2025 with 290,000 mu (about 19,333 hectares) of coffee planting area, representing 19.82 percent of Yunnan's total. This marked the largest annual increase in recent years, with expected coffee bean production of 25,000 tonnes valued at 992 million yuan (about $144 million). Fifty-one enterprises now form a complete industrial chain, producing everything from premium green beans to capsule coffee and coffee cherry tea.
Zhu Hong, head of Xigui coffee estate in Bangdong township, returned to his village in 2008 and began promoting coffee cultivation in 2009. Despite a decade of losses, he persisted, stating, "During those years, I relied entirely on income from the tea factory to cover the deficit." By September 2021, his processing plant was completed, training technicians and farmers. In 2025, it processed 800 tonnes of fresh cherries into 160 tonnes of beans worth 9.6 million yuan. The township now has 3,027 mu of coffee trees, with Zhu's plantation covering over 600 mu; during the 2024-2025 harvest, he bought 1,200 tonnes, two-thirds specialty beans.
Domestic demand offers opportunities, as Yang Shiping from the Lincang agriculture bureau noted: "In recent years, domestic coffee consumption has grown at an average annual rate exceeding 15 percent, with annual demand reaching 350,000 tonnes. However, Yunnan's total output is only about 150,000 tonnes, leaving nearly 200,000 tonnes dependent on imports. This is precisely Lincang coffee's opportunity." Tang Xiaoyan of Lincang Qiupo estate added, "We now work directly with roasters and end customers. Our order book is full," with products exported to the U.S., South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia via e-commerce.
In Shuangjiang county, 31,000 mu of plantations yielded over 8,100 tonnes in 2024-2025, generating more than 73 million yuan and boosting per capita farmer income by over 6,600 yuan. Rongkangda estate manages 1,500 mu directly and over 2,000 mu with 300 households, using premium varieties like Geisha and Typica to achieve per-mu returns up to 100,000 yuan on its land and 10,000-20,000 yuan for farmers. Named one of Yunnan's 10 premium estates in November 2022, its beans won the 2025 First Gems of Yunnan Green Coffee Competition championship, selling for 13,150 yuan per kilogram. Lincang beans have secured seven international competition wins.
Looking ahead, Hong Zongmei, deputy director of the agriculture bureau, said the city plans modern processing parks in the 2026-2030 period to reach an 80 percent deep-processing rate, supported by 11 policies on varieties, technologies, and equipment. Initiatives like integrating coffee with pottery in Wanyao village, as Yan Ping described—"We're integrating Wanyao village's two signature elements: clay pottery and coffee"—are fostering rural revitalization through cafes and tourism.
