Pu’er Coffee

 When the aroma of coffee fills the cabin air, the story of Yunnan’s coffee begins to unfold along the flight path — an innovative “coffee + cultural tourism” experiment that transcends industry boundaries and redefines consumer experience. On October 22, 2025, China Eastern Airlines flight MU5814 — a “Yunnan Coffee Theme Flight” jointly created by Starbucks China and China Eastern — took off smoothly from Shanghai Hongqiao and landed in Kunming Changshui. This was not only the first collaboration between the two brands in the “coffee + air travel” domain, but also marked a new phase of immersive and experiential integration between coffee culture and cultural tourism. 01. Enjoying Coffee at 30,000 Feet: A Cultural Journey in the Sky With the theme “Every Cup, From Yunnan” , this special flight transformed the cabin into a mobile exhibition of Yunnan’s coffee culture. Illustrated panels above the luggage compartments depicted the full life cycle of coffee beans — from the coffe...

 Since 2025, the international coffee market has continued to operate at historically high levels. In 2024, Arabica coffee futures repeatedly broke record highs, and the resulting price volatility rippled through the entire supply chain. Domestic small and medium-sized roasters faced increasing cost pressure, while several retail brands began adjusting prices in the end market. Against this backdrop, the light-asset model that relies solely on external procurement has become increasingly unsustainable. For leading Chinese coffee brands, early investments in vertically integrated supply chains have proven essential—“building factories and securing the source” has become the core defense against market fluctuations. 01. Leading Brands Double Down on Deep Supply Chain Integration Luckin Coffee began its “new coffee infrastructure” initiative in 2021 and has since completed a comprehensive network: a coffee cherry processing plant in Baoshan, Yunnan, and two major roasting bases in ...