(Jamaica Observer) The first shipment of Jamaican green bean coffee was shipped on Tuesday to China, as the Government continues its thrust to diversify the access to Jamaica’s premium brand.
This shipment is consigned to the Zhejiang Dunn’s River Import and Export Company Limited, which is the corporate body formed to handle the commercial transactions of the Hangzhou Coffee and Western Foods. The first batch of 16,500 kilogrammes of Blue Mountain Coffee will leave on the vessel ‘Lania’ and is expected to arrive in Ningbo, China, from where it will be trucked to its destination of Hangzhou.
“…whereas this is early days in the development of the coffee culture, the consumption of coffee is very small in China, but the country already consumes close to 1 million bags mostly of lower quality Robusta coffee. This is mostly used in the production of instant coffee. However, with what is potentially the largest gift market in the world, and the penchant for expensive and ostentatious gifts that celebrates Chivas Regal, Gucci, Coach and others, this is a prime market for the world’s finest Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee,” said Minister of Agriculture Christopher Tufton.
In July last year, the Hangzhou Coffee and Western Foods Association signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Coffee Industry Board with the understanding that the body corporate representing the Hangzhou Coffee and Western Foods Association would purchase a total of 1,000 barrels of coffee, each weighing 70 kilogrammes and carrying an estimated value of US$2 million.
The shipment has an approximate sale value of approximately US$425,000. Four more shipments will be sent to complete the full contractual obligations of Zhejiang Dunn’s River Import and Export Company.
Under the agreement, Zhejiang Dunn’s River has committed to spend a minimum of US$960,000 on promotions and marketing, and will assist the Coffee Industry Board (CIB) in its brand promotion efforts in China.
