African coffee growers find market potential in China

Coffee's growing popularity in China has not only created new opportunities for small businesses, but also for growers from Africa, as the coffee market is brewing to new heights in central China's Hunan Province.

In Gaoqiao Grand Market's busy Coffee Street in Changsha, capital city of the province, there are more than 30 coffee houses.

At the two-week Quality African Products Online Shopping Festival which was held in multiple provinces across the country and just concluded on Thursday, coffee from the continent was shown to have become a star attraction, with its flavor and quality gaining popularity among Chinese customers.

"We import nearly 1,000 tons of coffee from Africa every year, mainly from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Gaoqiao has collaborated with local farmers' organizations in Africa to effectively handle the imports," said Luo Jianjun, manager of the Coffee Center at the Gaoqiao Grand Market.

The center features coffee products from more than 20 African countries. It basically runs a whole industry chain in China - from imports, distributions and research to development, branding and sales.

China's coffee industry is freshly roasted, and ready to thrive. According to data from the International Coffee Organization, China's coffee market scale will hit 153 billion U.S. dollars by 2025.

"The huge market in China calls for a better trade mechanism with Africa. We now purchase coffee directly from there, which save time, logistic and communication overhead. By decreasing the cost by 30 percent in general, we are able to collaborate with major domestic brands," said Jing Jianhua, founder and CEO of Coffee Z.

Through a two-way coffee trade mechanism, African farmers hope to benefit by exporting directly to China's enormous market without intermediaries.