Hong Kong businessmen tap into Yunnan coffee boom as rural revitalisation drive gains pace
Young entrepreneurs in Yunnan are returning to their hometowns to start coffee businesses, supported by government loans and a growing tourism industry. Hong Kong investors see opportunities in the sector, with one businessman becoming the exclusive distributor for a local coffee estate to expand in
China's 15th Five-Year Plan calls for accelerating agricultural modernisation, promoting comprehensive rural revitalisation, and fostering village specialty industries and leisure tourism. It also encourages young talent to start businesses and find employment in rural areas as part of the country's common prosperity drive.
In Yunnan, a province known for tea and increasingly for coffee, young entrepreneurs Zhong Tao and Zhao Haosheng have returned to their hometown of Pu'er to open a coffee shop. They benefited from government policies such as interest-free start-up loans for young people, which eased financial pressure in the early stages. They said local coffee shops are becoming popular gathering spots for young people and tourists.
The estate economy is also driving rural transformation. The Aini Coffee Estate on the outskirts of Pu'er, founded by Liu Minghui, has turned barren hills into a national 3A-level tourist attraction over more than two decades. Visitors can pick, roast and brew coffee. Liu said the estate buys ingredients from nearby farmers and purchases their coffee beans at fair prices, creating a positive economic cycle that benefits the whole community. Coffee farmer Zhang Fude said local farmers previously grew corn and earned little; now, with professional training and new technologies such as drones provided by the estate, their monthly incomes have doubled or tripled to 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, with some reaching 10,000 yuan.
Hong Kong businessman and chairman of Xie Feng Supply Chain Group, Pan Jiahuang, became the exclusive Hong Kong distributor for Aini coffee six months ago. He plans to use Hong Kong's business advantages to take the product international, citing the city's expertise in product design, international quality certification and marketing.
Charles Chui, a standing committee member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, said he has been involved in poverty alleviation work in Malipo County, Yunnan, since 2023. He invested in a modern tea factory there to standardise production, and the tea has been used as a state gift at the United Nations. Chui said rural revitalisation and urbanisation offer huge business opportunities, and Hong Kong businessmen can act as 'connectors, investors and operators', combining their strengths with mainland resources to help rural industries expand into overseas markets.