Coffee aroma from Wanning, S China's Hainan travels far and wide

Hainan Province is one of the earliest regions in China to cultivate and process coffee, dating back over 100 years.

In Wanning city of Hainan, the farmland area dedicated to coffee cultivation accounts for about one-third of the province's total. The city also accounts for over 70 percent of coffee bean processing in Hainan.

Aerial photo shows a coffee-growing area in Xinglong township, Wanning city, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Wanning)

Wanning is considered an important area for coffee cultivation, processing, and trade in Hainan, according to Huang Haiwen, logistics director of the CP (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co. in Wanning.

The M1 Coffee Dream Factory in Wanning is home to a large coffee trading screen. It is the site of the World Coffee Auction Center, the first of its kind in China, as well as the Hainan International Coffee Trading Operation Center.

In 2023, "Tianshan," a type of Robusta coffee grown in Xinglong township of Wanning, was sold at 980 yuan ($136.50) per kg at the World Coffee Auction Center.

Inside an industrial park operated by CP (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co., a fully automated coffee production line with imported machinery demonstrates the modern outlook of local coffee production.

Photo shows blooming flowers and fruits of coffee trees in Xinglong township, Wanning city, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo/Yang Shizhong)

"We have two production workshops, one of which utilizes the traditional Xinglong coffee roasting technique. With both workshops operating at full capacity, our annual production capacity can reach 3,000 tonnes. With the two workshops, we import coffee beans from around the world and develop and process coffee beans to meet the diverse tastes and preferences of different regions," explained Ke Peng, head of the marketing department at CP (Hainan) Xinglong Coffee Industry Development Co.

In spring, visitors to a coffee farm in Wanning have the opportunity to witness the cultivation of coffee and engage in the roasting process. They can indulge in a delightful cup of coffee. This immersive "coffee journey" has become popular among tourists, making it a sought-after experience at coffee-themed shared farms and tourist attractions in Wanning.

Photo shows coffee products in Xinglong township, Wanning city, south China's Hainan Province. (Photo courtesy of the media convergence center of Wanning)

In 2023, the M1 Coffee Dream Workshop and the industrial park welcomed a combined total of 840,000 tourist visits.

Records show Wanning has over 300 coffee shops, along with five coffee-themed shared farms and two coffee-themed tourist attractions.

There are 10 coffee processing enterprises of a certain scale, with an annual processing capacity exceeding 9,000 tonnes. In 2023, the annual output of Wanning's coffee industry chain was worth over 500 million yuan, and that figure is expected to surpass 1 billion yuan in 2024.

"The rich coffee culture in Xinglong convinced me to start my coffee business here seven years ago," said Zhang Qingwen, founder of Hainan Jinake Coffee Co., Ltd. The company has opened 10 stores in Hainan. In 2023, the company generated total operating revenue of 3 million yuan.

According to Fu Youxuan from the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Wanning, two coffee varieties, jointly developed by the Spice and Beverage Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences and leading enterprises in Hainan, was included in the list of priority varieties for cultivation during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) by the former Ministry of Agriculture.

They have also formulated over 10 core standards, establishing a technical support system for the entire coffee production process, from cultivation to trade. This system provides scientific research support for the development of the coffee industry.