Sutoyo Raharto, general manager of PO Kopi Negrikoe, promotes Indonesian luwak coffee at the 133rd session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, May 2, 2023.(Xinhua/Lu Hao)
GUANGZHOU, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Twenty years ago, Sutoyo Raharto brought Indonesian coffee to his friends in Beijing for a taste. Back then, drinking coffee was a hobby of just very few people in China.
Now, as an Indonesian businessman, he is exhibiting Indonesian luwak coffee at the China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair), hoping to promote this quality specialty in the booming Chinese market.
The ongoing 133rd Canton Fair, held in the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou, fully resumes offline exhibitions. The total import exhibition area where Sutoyo Raharto joined reaches 30,000 square meters, drawing a total of 508 overseas companies from more than 40 countries and regions.
"This is my first time attending the fair and I hope to meet more business partners, find suitable agents, and promote the sales of Indonesian coffee in China," said Sutoyo, general manager of PO Kopi Negrikoe.
Founded in 1999, PO Kopi Negrikoe is a coffee manufacturer located in Java, Indonesia, and specializes in the production and sales of Indonesian luwak coffee. Its coffee products have been exported to many countries, such as the Republic of Korea, Japan, Australia, and the Netherlands.
In Indonesia, coffee is popular among Indonesian Chinese and Chinese tourists. However, the huge coffee consumption market in China motivates Sutoyo to promote Indonesian coffee in China.
"When I studied in Beijing back in 1998, there were only a few coffee shops in the city. Nowadays, coffee shops can be seen everywhere and there are even Indonesian coffee shops. The coffee market in China is still expanding," said Sutoyo.
Data from iiMedia Research shows that the market size of China's coffee industry registered 381.7 billion yuan (about 55.3 billion U.S. dollars) in 2021, and is expected to reach 617.8 billion yuan in 2023. The Chinese coffee industry is estimated to maintain a growth rate of 27.2 percent and to exceed 1 trillion yuan in 2025.
Resolved to tap the Chinese market, Sutoyo participated in the China-ASEAN Expo held in south China's Nanning in 2019. In just four days of exhibition, he sold nearly 200 kilograms of Indonesian luwak coffee on site.
"The price of the coffee varies from 200 yuan to 800 yuan per 100 gram. Although the price is relatively expensive, Chinese consumers had a great interest in coffee and were queuing up to buy it," Sutoyo said.
The big success of the exhibition emboldened Sutoyo to expand the Chinese market. In addition to this year's Canton Fair, Sutoyo also plans to attend the SIAL Global Food Industry Sumit in Shenzhen this August, and the China Import and Export Expo in Shanghai this November.
Besides coffee, such local Indonesian specialties as spices, cubilose, and Butong tea from Sumatra Island also appeared at the Canton Fair.
With the rapid development of China-Indonesia economic and trade relations, many Indonesian products can be seen in the Chinese market, but most of their source of origin cannot be identified. Therefore, the products exhibited this time are with the geographical indication of Sumatra, said Tansri Chandra, president of the Indonesia China Business Council (North Sumatra).
Chandra has been participating in the Canton Fair since 1979, but he used to join as a purchaser, targeting China's agricultural machinery products such as small generators and water pumps. This time, he is present at the fair as an exhibitor, selling Indonesian products.
"In the past, we always bought things from China. With the wider opening-up of China's market, more Indonesian products are allowed to enter the Chinese market, which provides us with more business opportunities, " said Chandra.
He added that the products exhibited at the fair are directly purchased from local farmers, and currently only sold locally. "I hope to enhance the influence of Indonesian local specialties and promote their sales in China through the fair. It not only increases the income of local farmers but offers more choices for Chinese consumers."
To reach his goal, Chandra plans to open a factory specializing in roasting Indonesian coffee beans in south China's Hainan Province, to further expand the popularity of Indonesian coffee.
This year's Canton Fair marks the largest in history. The total exhibition area has increased from 1.18 million square meters to 1.5 million square meters, with the number of offline exhibitors rising to about 35,000, including 9,000 new exhibitors. It has attracted buyers from more than 220 countries and regions. ■
Visitors taste Indonesian coffee exhibited by the Indonesia China Business Council (North Sumatra) at the 133rd session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, May 2, 2023.(Xinhua/Lu Hao)