WELLINGTON, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Cafes across New Zealand's major cities are pouring more cups brewed with coffee beans from China's Yunnan Province, whose diverse, distinctive flavor profiles are winning over local coffee lovers.
Coffee drinkers in New Zealand have long associated quality coffee with well-established growing powerhouses: Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia. But a new origin is making inroads on the global coffee circuit -- China's Yunnan.
MQ Coffee, headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, is among the businesses helping Yunnan coffee gain a foothold in New Zealand. Wang Yanqi, co-founder of MQ Coffee, said that the quality of Yunnan coffee has improved significantly in recent years, and overseas consumers are paying increasing attention to China as a coffee-producing origin.
MQ Coffee currently carries out coffee product customization, production and packaging of drip coffee bags, and coffee training in New Zealand, while introducing Yunnan coffee to local consumers and coffee professionals through cupping sessions, professional training and origin exchanges.
"Personally, I think Yunnan specialty beans are getting better and better year by year," said Zhang Xue, a coffee taster and coffee trainer in New Zealand, adding that Yunnan specialty coffee is becoming increasingly attractive in terms of flavor expression and quality consistency.
Yunnan has formed six core coffee-producing regions: Pu'er, Baoshan, Lincang, Dehong, Xishuangbanna and Nujiang. Pu'er coffee and Baoshan small-bean coffee have been included on the mutual recognition and protection list under the agreement on China-EU geographical indications.
According to Kunming Customs statistics, in the first eight months of 2026, Yunnan exported 11,000 tonnes of coffee worth 450 million yuan (about 67 million U.S. dollars), mainly to 42 countries and regions including Vietnam, Malaysia and Germany, ranking first nationwide by export value. In 2025, Yunnan exported 195.6 tonnes of green coffee beans to New Zealand, worth 10.2 million yuan.
Some Yunnan coffees deliver good sweetness and body and retain distinct coffee flavors with milk added, making them well-suited to milk-based coffee drinks familiar to New Zealand consumers. Meanwhile, finely processed Yunnan coffees can develop richer layers of floral and fruity aromas via pour-over and drip brewing, Wang noted.
New Zealand's coffee market is operating with a relatively mature industry chain covering importation, roasting, wholesale and retail. For Chinese coffee products that have just entered the local market, building stable sales channels, expanding consumer groups, and turning consumers' initial novelty into lasting competitiveness remain key challenges to address, according to local coffee market observers.
To raise recognition of Yunnan coffee, MQ Coffee has organized New Zealand coffee professionals and enthusiasts to visit Yunnan's growing regions to learn about local coffee farming and processing practices.
For repeat purchases from foreign consumers, Yunnan coffee must further boost its competitiveness in product quality, pricing and supply stability, Wang said. ■
