Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/658240
38 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 2, 2016 (April/May) 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 2005/2006 2006/2007 2007/2008 2008/2009 2009/2010 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 2015/2016 Plan Export Volume (Ton) Local Volume (Ton) 1,100 (28.12%) 1,800 (38.69%) 2,900 (50.94%) 2,700 (69.62%) 609 (22.10%) 5,460 (69.47%) 7,731 (73.55%) 9,225 (80.20%) 4,618 (86.41%) 9,799 (89.39%) 10,038 (84.01%) 1,910 (15.99%) 1,163 (10.61%) 726 (13.59%) 2,278 (19.80%) 2,780 (26.45%) 2,400 (30.53%) 2,147 (77.90%) 1,178 (30.38%) 2,793 (49.06%) 2,852 (61.31%) 2,812 (71.88%) Smet had achieved 100% 4C compli- ance, incorporating all of the company's local growers. Now led by Mexico-born agronomist Gonzalo Contreras Bautista in his capacity as coffee agricultural ser- vices manager at Nestlé GCR (Greater China Region), the Nescafé Coffee Cen- ter was constructed in 2015 and began operations in 2016 to further strengthen the company's purchasing and exporting capacity. "The center will continue to serve as Nestlé's green coffee buying station to supply both local factories as well as eight Nescafé factories in Europe and Oceania. It center also comprises training facilities to educate farmers on good agricultural practices and post-harvest management, which will help to further improve crop quality," Bautista explains, adding that a team of five agronomists are at hand on site to provide courses, monitor 4C compliance and help farmers to improve sustainable coffee growing practices. Improving quality Yunnan arabica is typically a fully washed coffee with good screens. It has low to me- dium defects and low to medium body and acidity. It is classed in the milds complex — similar to the coffees grown in Central America (e.g. Honduras and Nicaragua). "But", cautions Louis Drefus' Zhang, "compared to other coffees, Yunnan arabica at times results in an inconsistent cupping experience due to a lack of stan- dardized washing processes. Quality con- trol procedures among individual grow- ers still vary a little from farm to farm." Zhang adds that quality and consis- tency are improving as more companies get involved in the washing and fine-pro- cessing of the coffee. Experienced cof- fee professionals provide more practical guidance to farmers. Overall, Zhang is quite satisfied in terms of general quality and cup profile such as acidity and taste. "So far we've seen that Yunnan cof- fees come in a range of qualities that are suitable for most production uses," he says, adding that he believes "in time" quality Chinese Arabica will become more readily available at specialty coffee outlets around the world. Nestlé's Bautista agrees with Zhang's observations, confirming that while Chi- na is becoming internationally known as a coffee producer country, its output still has to be regarded as standard at this mo- ment. "But there is a high potential for Yunnan coffee to improve and eventu- ally become clearly distinguishable from other origins," he said. Nestlé – Yunnan arabica export volume and local volumes in metric tons for the crop years 2005/06 to 2015/16 Source: Nestlé GCR Right, Gonzalo Contreras Bautista giving advice to a coffee farmer in Pu'er Photo courtesy of Gonzalo Contreras Bautista, Nestlé China