Yunnan Agricultural University, Education and Research Department
A university in China has established the country's first four-year 'Coffee Studies major.'
On the 7th, Yonhap News reported, citing Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) and China News Network, news from the Tropical Crops College (faculty) of Yunnan Agricultural University in Yunnan Province, southern China. This institution received approval from Chinese authorities in March this year to offer a bachelor's degree in Coffee Science and Engineering.
China ranks as the 13th largest coffee producer globally, but its total production accounts for only about 1.1%. Yunnan Province, known for its climate similar to Ethiopia's, cultivates 98% of the coffee produced within China.
The 'Coffee Studies' curriculum includes coffee flavor chemistry, quality and safety testing, factory design, environmental protection, global coffee trade, engineering theory, nutrition, and health. The university stated, "This is the first major in the country to provide specialized undergraduate education in coffee," adding, "Applicants must have a solid foundation in natural sciences, basic theories, and skills in the field of coffee science and engineering."
The Coffee Science and Engineering major is taught by 24 full-time faculty members (8 professors and 10 PhDs). The university has already published two textbooks and launched online courses. Coffee studies are not unfamiliar abroad; universities in Switzerland and the United States offer coffee-related educational programs.
Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland has opened a specialized coffee training program that includes coffee science in its curriculum. Additionally, in May, the University of California, Davis campus, although not offering a coffee major, established the first coffee research center in the U.S. as an elective course.
Meanwhile, international coffee bean prices have recently surged significantly. The price of Robusta beans, mainly used for instant coffee, increased threefold from $1.30 per kilogram in 2020 to $3.97 in April this year. Arabica beans, used in specialty coffee shops, doubled from $1.11 per pound in 2020 to $2.21 in April.
This price increase is believed to be due to reduced production caused by ongoing droughts in coffee-producing countries such as Vietnam and Brazil. If the rise in coffee bean prices continues, price hikes at coffee specialty stores are expected to be inevitable.
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