The Asian Coffee Association Inaugural Meeting was held at the Hogood International Conference Center in west Yunnan’s Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture on November 27.

Highlight of the on-going 2017 Asian Coffee Annual Conference, the inaugural meeting saw a participation of over 400 experts, scholars and entrepreneurs from 29 Asian countries, as well as some European and American countries.

The inaugural meeting also designated the prefectural capital city of Mang as the permanent site for the association’s yearly conference, and passed the “Constitution of Asian Coffee Association” and the “Detailed Rules for the Implementation of Constitution of Asian Coffee Association”.

Following the tenet of upgrading the coffee industry, increasing the income of coffee growers, and developing coffee-related businesses in Asia and beyond, the new association aims to make standards, set price system, develop brands, and promote international cooperation for Asian coffee.

During the meeting, 13 of 48 Asian countries were elected as members of the association council. They are China, South Korea and Japan in East Asia; Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia and Vietnam in Southeast Asia; India, Nepal and Sri Lanka in South Asia; and Saudi Arabia and Turkey in West Asia.

The proposal of setting up the Asian Coffee Association dates back to the year of 2015, when more than 20 Asian countries including China, Vietnam and Thailand took the initiative.