For more than a decade, German entrepreneur Eric Baden—known in China as “Coffee Laolin”—has played a leading role in promoting Yunnan’s specialty coffee on the world stage.
Since founding the Coffee Commune brand in Shanghai in 2016, Baden has worked closely with coffee growers in Yunnan province. Traveling frequently between Yunnan and Shanghai, he has introduced advanced planting, processing, and roasting techniques to help local farmers move away from bulk production and into the premium coffee market.
His long-term efforts have helped raise the reputation of Yunnan coffee globally, and the results are now clear.
“Before 2020, promoting Yunnan coffee was incredibly tough,” Baden recalled. “Everyone wanted imported beans. No one believed good coffee could come from China.”
Today, that has changed. “Now, there’s no difficulty at all,” he said. “But you must be ready for informed customers who ask detailed questions like, ‘Which region in Yunnan is this coffee from? What processing method was used?’”
Baden’s sense of accomplishment is supported by recent data. The 2025 China Urban Coffee Development Report, released during the opening of the 2025 Shanghai International Coffee Culture Festival in late April, highlights Yunnan’s growing importance in China’s coffee industry.
Related topics:
- White Rhino Coffee Introduces Summer Menu and Permanent Energy Drink Line
- AeroPress Launches Clear XL Brewer for Bigger, Better Coffee at Home
- Tampa’s Buddy Brew Coffee Expands to California with Erewhon Deal