China Develops Taste for Multi-Flavored Ethiopian Coffee
During the China International Coffee Expo (#CICE2023) held from 5 to 7 January 2023 in Pu’Er City in the Yunnan province of China, Ethiopian Ambassador Tefera Derbew announced that China has now become Ethiopia’s largest importer of coffee.
In his keynote address during the opening ceremony, he highlighted that ‘coffee is part and parcel of the Ethiopian social fabric’ and coffee culture is deeply ingrained in the Ethiopian way of life. It is quite fitting that this edition of the Cafe Expo is taking place in the city of Pu’Er which is also the name of one of the famous types of Chinese tea, well-known for its health benefits.
“As one of the world’s three main beverages, coffee is like a bridge, connecting all countries in the world, crossing borders and races, narrowing the distance between people in the global village, and letting culture plug in wings through coffee cultural exchanges, promoting the great integration and development of excellent cultures among all human beings in the world.”
Ethiopian Ambassador Tefera Derbew
According to current data, Ethiopia produces 3% of the world’s coffee and is the top producer Africa. On the world stage, Ethiopia ranks as the 5th largest coffee exporter.
Acting as a salesman for his country’s coffee, Ambassador Derbew did not miss to point out that Ethiopian coffee now comes in a variety of delicious flavors to suit every palate from chocolaty, fruity or even winy.
In recent years, Chinese coffee company Luckin has set its ambition to overtake Starbucks in a bid to control the large and juicy Chinese market. By November 2023, Luckin boasts more than 10,000 coffee shops across China. In comparison, Starbucks has only 7,000 stores in the Middle Kingdom. For Starbucks, China is its 2nd largest market, behind its home market in the USA.
Other than the major cities of Beijing Shanghai and Guangzhou various Coffee Trade Fairs take place around the country all year round. The next Cafe Expos will be held in Wuhan at the end of May 2024 and then in Shenzhen in August 2024.