China's coffee boom spawns new professions

For many young urbanites, the day begins with a cup of coffee. Behind the ordinary drink lies a long journey — from seed to bean to cup — often spanning thousands of miles and involving countless hands. Each cup embodies a chain of emerging professions.​

China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) recently included "coffee processing technician" on its seventh list of newly recognized professions.

As China's coffee market enters a new phase of rapid growth and quality upgrading, an emerging group of young professionals, including coffee tasters, roasters and bean hunters, is gaining prominence.​

Xu Chao, Huang Danying and their child pose for a picture in front of their cafe in Xinshi town, Deqing county, Huzhou city, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Xu Chao and his wife, Huang Danying, run a cafe in Xinshi town, Deqing county, Huzhou city, east China's Zhejiang Province. Over the past two years, Xu has learned to roast coffee beans himself and often stresses that every role in the cafe is now officially recognized as a profession when looking to hire new team members.​

Although located in a small town, the cafe has been attracting an increasing number of customers. The couple has hired additional baristas and shifted their focus from working behind the bar to developing new products. Last year, they opened a roasting facility that supplies beans to nearby independent cafes.​

Xu has noticed that customers are becoming more discerning and curious about coffee. Many now seek out specialty cafes to explore unique flavors. The cafe updates its menu every season to keep things fresh. Each year, Xu travels to southwest China's Yunnan Province, a major coffee-producing region, during the coffee cherry harvest season to source quality beans.​

In recent years, an increasing number of independent cafes have begun to delve deeper into the origins of beans, roasting methods, and flavor complexity, while investing heavily in research and development. Every stage of the coffee-making process is becoming increasingly professionalized, and that is giving rise to a host of new job opportunities.​

Wen Shan, a coffee processing technician, roasts coffee beans at a factory in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

Wen Shan, a coffee processing technician, has worked at a coffee processing factory in Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, for 10 years. The factory was established in 2004. Back then, it was just a small workshop. Today, it operates inside a modern 1,200-square-meter facility at a food industry park.​

Over the past decade, Wen has specialized in coffee roasting and flavor development. She explained that while baristas focus on cafe operations, customer service and drink preparation, coffee processing technicians work on the production side.

Her team tailors roasting methods according to the bean's origin, variety and the customer's flavor preferences.​

Few people realize that between coffee farms and coffee factories lies a lesser-known profession: the bean hunter. Li Minting, who sources beans from coffee plantations around the world, is not only the founder of a coffee company but also a bean hunter.​

Li majored in Portuguese at university and started a trading company right after graduation. Later, after founding Ingenuity Coffee in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, she began her global search for high-quality beans.​

Li Minting (right) poses for a picture with a local at a coffee estate. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

To Li, bean hunting is the vital link that connects every stage of the coffee supply chain. Over the past decade, she has traveled to major coffee-producing regions across the globe, sometimes visiting as many as nine different regions in a single year.​

She has noticed that as China's coffee market grows rapidly, more international estate owners and exporters are eager to enter the Chinese market; however, few succeed due to language and cultural barriers.​

"We aim to be a bridge between the origins and Chinese roasters. We bring in premium beans from around the world and also share China's market insights with producers," Li said.​

Bean hunting, she explained, involves studying every detail.

"Coffee is shaped by its environment, and every step affects the final flavor," she explained. Li described bean hunting as a highly demanding and versatile profession. Beyond technical skills such as quality control, roasting, and cupping, it also requires strong communication, negotiation, and language abilities.​

Annual per capita coffee consumption in China surpassed 20 cups for the first time this year, reaching 22.24 cups, according to a report on China's urban coffee development jointly released by the Shanghai Cultural and Creative Industry Promotion Association and other organizations on April 30.​

Data from data analysis provider iiMedia Research shows that China's coffee market was worth 789.3 billion yuan (about $111 billion) in 2024 and is expected to exceed 1 trillion yuan in 2025, potentially surpassing 1.39 trillion yuan by 2029.

Li Minting, a coffee bean hunter, evaluates coffee quality with a cupping test. (Photo courtesy of the interviewee)

A single cup of coffee captures the powerful momentum behind China's consumption upgrades. China's coffee sector is creating new opportunities across the entire industrial chain and opening diverse career paths for young people.

Yang Hongxian, the founder of a coffee studio in Pu'er, Yunnan, has watched cafes spring up across the region and experienced the industry's growing vibrancy, thanks to strong government support.​

"Each year, Pu'er attracts many bean hunters and baristas from other parts of the country. Yunnan coffee is earning wider recognition and increasingly positive reviews," Yang said.​

"Coffee spans the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. It's a long industrial chain that runs from the seed to the cup, and ultimately to the consumer. Along this chain, new roles are emerging beyond baristas, such as roasters, tasters, bean hunters and trainers," said Qi Ming, founder of Bloom Coffee College in Beijing.​

Qi noted that the inclusion of barista and coffee processing technician among officially recognized new occupations sends a clear message. "China's coffee industry, particularly in its mid- and upstream segments, is entering a phase of rapid growth and intensive innovation. This not only reflects real demand for skilled talents along the industrial chain but also opens new avenues for employment and entrepreneurship," Qi added.​