About Yundian and Coffee In Yunnan

Yundian Coffee is committed to promoting sustainable, fair trading in Yunnan's specialty coffee industry, ensuring farmers are adequately compensated for their commitment to the craft. By encouraging continuous improvement in the quality and range of coffee beans produced, Yundian supports sustainable agriculture and economic growth in the region.

Beyond quality, Yundian also explores the unique stories of each of the various Yunnan estates they work with. Yundian believes that Yunnan's coffee has the potential to be a globally recognised as a symbol of high-quality specialty coffee, with its unique terroir and flavour expression.

Supporting Partnerships with Local Farmers:
Yundian Coffee has spent over six years collaborating with local farms in Yunnan to cultivate premium specialty coffee beans that highlight the region's unique terroir. These trusted partnerships are the cornerstone of the company's commitment to quality.

Commitment to Yunnan Coffee Quality:
Despite trends toward commercial, high-yield coffee in Yunnan, Yundian has discovered several estates that remain committed to quality and varietal diversity. The company believes these estates deserve global recognition, proving Yunnan’s ability to produce exceptional coffee. There are still many undiscovered gems in Yunnan waiting to be shared with a broader audience.

Notable Yunnan Estates:
- Yunlan Estate: After a devastating fire in 2014, Mr. Hongjun Zhang, now 80, rebuilt his estate and continues to work tirelessly on it.
- Red Dragon Estate: Lao Wang has invested heavily in reviving the Typica variety, believing it to be the future of Yunnan coffee. We have previously bought from the Red Dragon Estate via Yundian, featuring their signature coffee: Red Sparrow.
- Happenstance Estate: Processor Xin Zhao has produced competition-grade coffee for events like WBC, demonstrating Yunnan’s potential in the global coffee arena.
- No Stone Estate: Lu Sun has been working tirelessly for years to develop the potential of Chinese coffee. His unique approach harmonises a delicate balance between traditional cultivation methods with the modern scientific methodology, and a tickle of art, too. We have featured coffee from Lu Sun before. 

Key Coffee Regions in Yunnan:
- Baoshan: Known for balanced flavours due to optimal growing conditions.
- Pu’er: Famous for rich, full-bodied coffee with a unique flavour profile.
- Dehong: Produces coffee with fruity and floral characteristics, thanks to its tropical climate.
- Menglian: Praised for sustainable practices and clean, sweet-tasting coffee.

Comprehensive Freight System:
To preserve coffee quality during transport, Yundian Coffee has partnered with Vanguard, storing their coffee in a climate-controlled warehouse in China and loaded only on the day of departure. After docking in the UK, the coffee is quickly transported to a dedicated warehouse in Birmingham, quality assessed and then

This streamlined system guarantees the freshness and quality of Yundian Coffee throughout its journey from farm to cup.

 

About the founders

Yufan Wu, the founder of Yundian Coffee, was born into a family with over 25 years of experience in international trade. Since 2013, he spent more than 11 years living, studying, and working in the UK. Six years ago, inspired by his father, Yufan embarked on his coffee journey. His first encounter with coffee was an iced Americano, which he instantly loved, sparking his passion for speciality coffee. In 2021, back in China, Yufan tasted Yunnan speciality coffee for the first time. The exceptional quality left a lasting impression, inspiring him to explore the idea of exporting Yunnan coffee globally, with the UK as his initial target market. From that moment, Yufan dedicated himself to sourcing the best high-quality Yunnan coffee. However, navigating the complex coffee industry proved challenging until he met Jeremy.

Jeremy Shen began his coffee career six years ago when he joined Luckin Coffee. During this time, he recognised the potential of Yunnan speciality coffee, despite its stereotype of being used only in commercial blends for brands like Starbucks and Costa. Determined to change this, he spent the next six years working closely with local estates and farmers in Yunnan. Jeremy and Luckin Coffee invested in local farmers, providing training, equipment, and encouragement, driving improvements in green bean quality. After five years of relentless effort, Yunnan coffee's quality improved significantly, leading to notable success in China’s domestic market due to the growing demand for coffee over the past decade.

In October 2023, after tasting an exceptional competition-grade Yunnan coffee, Jeremy realised that it could rival the quality of coffees from renowned regions like Ethiopia, Colombia, and Panama. This sparked a new idea: to introduce Yunnan coffee to the international stage. However, the complex procedures involved in exporting coffee from China posed a significant challenge until he met Yufan.

In January 2024, Yufan and Jeremy were introduced through a mutual friend, and their shared vision for the future of Yunnan coffee aligned perfectly. They decided to establish a green coffee trading company specialising in Yunnan coffee. From the outset, they committed to sourcing only the highest-quality Yunnan coffee, with an uncompromising focus on flavour.

 

Our Relationship With Yundian

Since their inception,Yundian's coffee has become a staple of our coffee offerings. Chinese coffee production has always been on our radar as having incredible potential due to its incredibly rich agricultural history and diverse terroir.

I was introduced to Yundian by our good friend Yanyi Xu over at KillBean. Having the opportunity to work closely with Yufan and Jeremy on their incredible journey has given us a glimpse into the difficulties that small independent importers face. Their unwavering commitment to quality is inspiring and worthy of a place in our roasting lineup. 

We look forward to buying many more incredible coffees from them in the future and strengthening our relationship and supporting the farms that they work so closely with. 

Click here to check out more stories on our green coffee partners!