SHANGHAI (XINHUA) – As China’s enthusiasm for coffee continues to grow, a Brazilian businessman is seizing the moment by introducing the rich flavours and cultural heritage of his homeland’s brew to a traditionally tea-drinking country.
As the world’s largest coffee producer, Brazil has yet to see any of its coffee chains take root in China. For Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Consultant at the Brazil Business Development Centre Eduardo Almeida, this untapped market is exactly “where the potential lies.”
“China’s coffee market is growing rapidly, and we are the pioneers that focus on quality. This is a difficult task, but we are confident,” Almeida said during an interview with Xinhua at the ongoing China International Import Expo (CIIE).
Almeida’s association exports green beans, representing over 5,000 farms in Minas Gerais, a southeastern Brazilian state which, according to him, produces “the best coffee in Brazil”.
With over 300 years of coffee growing history, Minas Gerais offers perfect terrestrial and climatic conditions for coffee cultivation. Temperatures in the region typically range between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius, and altitudes vary from 800 to 1,200 metres.
“We bring all the farmers together into a cooperative association, and then we act as their export division, handling promotion and logistics,” Almeida said. Today, an increasing quantity of coffee beans cultivated on Brazilian farms is heading to China.
According to data from the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council, Brazil’s coffee bean exports to China reached 1.65 million bags in 2023-2024, marking a striking surge of 186.1 per cent compared to 2022-2023. The remarkable growth was fuelled by China’s thriving coffee market. A report released by several institutions, including a research centre of China’s Agriculture Ministry, shows that China had nearly 400 million coffee consumers by the end of 2023.
Shanghai, with over 9,500 coffee outlets – from a national total of 157,000 by the end of last year – has emerged as the country’s coffee hub, according to the report.
“The Chinese coffee market is rising faster than any other market because China’s population is so large,” Almeida said, noting that given the relatively low per capita consumption, China’s coffee market still has vast potential to grow.
“Shanghai is already a very developed city for coffee, but there are many other cities in China where the coffee market and culture are not yet fully developed,” he said.
For Almeida, exporting Brazilian coffee beans is the bread and butter of his business in China, but he’s got his eyes on other ventures too.
“Our goal is not only to promote our coffee trading business,” he said, adding that China’s growing coffee industry provides opportunities in other areas besides selling beans, such as cultural exchange.
“China will have a fantastic coffee culture. Do you know why?” Almeida asked. “Because Chinese people have been drinking tea for thousands of years.”
“They can tell the difference between high-quality and low-quality tea,” he said. “And when they start drinking coffee, they see the difference too. This is a taste that other countries don’t have.”
According to Almeida, this sophisticated “taste” enables Chinese coffee consumers to develop a demand that harmonises with Brazilian coffee culture, which emphasises high quality.
In Brazil, for example, the homegrown Arabica coffee offers a more delicate flavour that caters to Chinese people’s preference for sweeter and lighter tastes, he said.
To further strengthen the coffee bond between the two countries, Almeida said that he plans to open a coffee experience shop in Pu’er, Yunnan Province, a significant producing area for both tea and coffee in southwest China.
“Chinese people are creating their own coffee culture by adding local flavours, such as jasmine, to their coffee,” he said. “This unique blend of Chinese culture and coffee offers new and exciting flavours to coffee enthusiasts.”
The planned store, according to Almeida, will allow people to personalise the grinding, roasting and brewing of their coffee. “By mixing Chinese tea with Brazilian coffee, people can create their own coffee taste. More importantly, they can enjoy both cultures.”
To make this plan a reality, Almeida is seeking partnerships at the ongoing CIIE. He expects this platform will help him find Chinese partners that are well-informed about the local market.
“We need cooperation and an equal relationship,” he said. “In the Brazil-China relationship, everybody wins because it is based on equality. I have no doubt about it.”
