By: Mohamed Sahr
One of China’s leading coffee producers, Cafebreak, expressed strong interest in expanding its sourcing of coffee beans from Africa as demand for premium coffee products continues to grow in the Chinese market.
Cafebreak’s E-Commerce Manager, Yinghao Tang, said the company is actively exploring opportunities to obtain a wider variety of coffee beans from African countries, noting that the continent’s coffee is valued for its unique flavours, quality, and diversity.
“African coffee is important to Cafebreak because of the rich and distinctive flavours the beans provide,” Tang said.
He explained that the company is working to introduce more African coffee varieties to Chinese consumers, whose interest in premium and single-origin coffee continues to increase.
Tang made the remarks in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, during Cafebreak’s hosting of 16 African journalists who visited the company’s production facilities to learn more about its operations, supply chains, and future cooperation plans.
Cafebreak currently sources green coffee beans from several African countries, including Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya, as well as from Brazil.
The company’s representatives highlighted Africa’s growing importance in the global coffee supply chain, with countries such as Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Tanzania emerging as key suppliers of high-quality green coffee beans.
Although coffee consumption in China remains relatively low compared to major markets such as Brazil, the United States, and other coffee-consuming countries, the Shunda Coffee Group remains optimistic about expanding cooperation with African producers.
The company pointed to China’s commitment to strengthening trade relations with Africa, including tariff reduction measures announced by President Xi Jinping during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) Summit, as a potential opportunity to increase coffee trade between the two regions.
China and Brazil currently represent some of the world’s largest coffee markets, with significant annual consumption levels. To develop a stronger supply chain similar to these markets, Shunda Coffee Group, Kunshan, and Cafebreak have encouraged African countries to invest in large-scale coffee cultivation and improve production capacity.
The companies believe that increased investment in coffee farming, processing, and export infrastructure will help create a more efficient and sustainable coffee supply system while opening new opportunities for African farmers and businesses.
The visit by African journalists was aimed at exploring trade and sourcing opportunities across the continent and showcasing how Kunshan, once a small town, has developed into an important hub for importing, processing, and exporting coffee products.
Through continued collaboration, Cafebreak hopes to strengthen its partnership with African coffee-producing countries and bring more diverse African coffee flavours to consumers in China and beyond.