Manlaojiang Coffee Featured in New York Times - Is Manlaojiang Coffee a Major Brand & How to Purchase

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Manlaojiang Coffee: From Farm to Cup with Excellence

Recently, a coffee exported by Manlaojiang was featured in the New York Times. Manlaojiang has always adhered to the principle of "from seed to cup, achieving the ultimate moment of beauty." Now, with additional fashionable and innovative elements, Manlaojiang brings its coffee flavors to the world. It not only carries the essence of traditional Chinese culture but also carefully promotes the spirit of traditional craftsmanship. It symbolizes the most romantic coffee, and with the honor of being featured in the New York Times, Manlaojiang hopes more people will experience the unique coffee aroma that permeates the region.

Origins in Yunnan's Poverty Alleviation Project

Manlaojiang Coffee actually originated from a poverty alleviation project in Pu'er, Yunnan. By promoting organic farming, it has helped more than 3,000 Lisu coffee farmers develop sustainable coffee businesses while preserving 150,000 acres of original rainforest, providing an ecological forest reserve where humans and nature coexist harmoniously.

Through years of joint efforts, Manlaojiang Coffee has received multiple recognitions and honors. These 3,000+ Lisu coffee farmers support Manlaojiang's journey to become a leader in China's specialty coffee industry.

The Golden Latitude for Coffee Cultivation

22 degrees north latitude is the golden zone for coffee cultivation worldwide, and Pu'er is no exception. Today there are nearly 400 coffee companies in Pu'er, but few engage in deep processing. Yunnan Pu'er Manlaojiang Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. (hereafter "Manlaojiang Company"), rooted in Pu'er, has also seen the prospects of deep coffee processing. Its current goal is to create its own specialty coffee and secure a place in the international market.

From Selling Raw Materials to Creating Their Own Brand

The naming of Manlaojiang Company relates to its coffee plantation area, which is located near the Manlaojiang River.

"The Manlaojiang area, with its low latitude, medium altitude, and high forest coverage rate, provides an exceptional natural environment for our coffee cultivation," a relevant person in charge at Manlaojiang Company told reporters. Ultimately, they developed 14,000 acres for coffee cultivation on their 150,000+ acre plantation base. "Now all our coffee trees are bearing fruit. There are more than 3,000 coffee farmers there, many of whom migrated from the Nujiang River area. We've organized them into 16 coffee production teams, and last year our green coffee bean production reached 800 tons."

According to reports, despite having a 14,000-acre coffee base, Manlaojiang Company previously only sold green coffee bean raw materials.

Of course, to maximize coffee's economic benefits, deep processing is essential. It is understood that after roasting, green beans can increase in value by about 10 times. Later, Manlaojiang Company sold half of its coffee beans as raw materials and used the other half for deep processing to create its own "Manlaojiang" coffee brand.

Raw Materials Must Be Booked in Advance

"Our raw materials are never in short supply. Customers need to book a year in advance to get our products," a relevant person in charge at Manlaojiang Company told reporters. The reason their coffee raw materials are in such high demand is the high quality of their coffee.

"In terms of land development and utilization, out of the 150,000+ acre coffee plantation base, we've only developed 5.6% for coffee cultivation. Excluding 0.16% for other uses, the undeveloped area reaches 94.24% of our total land. Most of this undeveloped land consists of primary rainforest," a relevant person in charge at Manlaojiang Company stated. Latitude, altitude, and climate all affect coffee quality; of course, the surrounding ecological environment also impacts it.

According to reports, for coffee cultivation Manlaojiang Company allocates 10 acres of land to each migrant household and collaborates with the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences to provide organic farming training and material support.

"This process isn't as easy as it sounds. From applying organic fertilizers, crop intercropping, and using natural methods to prevent and control pests and diseases, to soil cultivation and helping farmers who don't understand coffee build knowledge of quality grading and green organic standards — beyond investing material resources and funds, it requires patience, trust, and cooperation. The production of every high-quality coffee bean is not easy. During harvest, all picking is done manually, with strict grading and screening during initial processing. During drying, the beans need to be turned every two hours. Our farmers care for the results of their labor as meticulously as if they were taking care of infants," introduced a relevant person in charge at Manlaojiang Company.

Commitment to Creating Specialty Coffee

It is understood that Manlaojiang Company's coffee obtained the first full-process Chinese organic certification in 2011, becoming the first Chinese coffee to hold both EU and US organic certifications simultaneously, and achieving full traceability from organic coffee cultivation, processing, and production to roasting, while reaching specialty standards.

"In the future, our raw material sales will gradually decrease, and we will focus more on producing our own specialty coffee," introduced a relevant person in charge at Manlaojiang Company. The formation and development of the specialty coffee trend, from the 1970s to the present, has gradually become the mainstream of the coffee market through the efforts and persistence of generations of industry elites.

Last year, Ted Lingle, founder of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and initiator of the specialty coffee movement, visited Manlaojiang Company twice and expressed appreciation for their coffee. "Now we have also established cooperative relationships with American specialty green bean purchasers, which means Manlaojiang Coffee has successfully advanced to become a Yunnan coffee that appears in the international market alongside traditional specialty coffee producing countries like Kenya," introduced a relevant person in charge at Manlaojiang Company.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online services at https://shop104210103.taobao.com

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Manlaojiang's story is a reminder of how far Yunnan coffee has come, and FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan lineup lets you taste that progress in the cup. Its entry-level FrontStreet Yunnan Small Bean comes from the Baoshan region and is washed and roasted medium, highlighting caramel sweetness while retaining some acidity, with soft nut and chocolate notes and a light plum acidity that make it a gentle introduction to the region's terroir.

For a clearer, more defined expression, the FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan sun-dried Typica is grown on FrontStreet's own estate and processed with the oldest and most traditional method — sun drying. Typica is one of the oldest and purest Arabica varieties, and the natural process gives it a heavier body and a more pronounced sweet-and-sour balance, with citrus and berry character, a hint of fermented wine, caramel sweetness, and a creamy finish.

If you want to enjoy Yunnan as an espresso, FrontStreet's Black Cocoa Blend combines Yunnan small bean with Brazil Cerrado: the Brazilian coffee supplies mixed-nut aroma and a balanced body, while the Yunnan small bean plays the chocolate and citrus role. As an Americano it is balanced across sweet, sour, and bitter with nutty and brown-sugar notes, and as a latte it delivers an almond and cream smoothness that is very forgiving for beginners.