In brief
Mauritius’s unique Chamarel Coffee, grown on a volcanic plantation, will debut at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. Development manager Thomas Lehoux highlighted the brand’s distinct flavor profile and its ambition to connect with Chinese importers and consumers. The company is expanding its 16‑hectare plantation in anticipation, but the outcome remains uncertain.
On 31 October, Mauritian coffee producer Chamarel Coffee announced it would bring its volcanic‑grown beans to Shanghai’s China International Import Expo (CIIE), marking the first time a local island coffee brand has entered the Chinese market.
Chamarel Coffee operates a single plantation in the Chamarel 7‑Colored Earth Geopark of southwestern Mauritius. The area’s humid climate, gentle sunlight and mineral‑rich volcanic soil, author Thomas Lehoux, development manager of the company, create a micro‑environment that yields beans with “a rich and balanced flavor,” he told Xinhua.
The plantation cultivates both Arabica and Liberica varieties, and, according to Lehoux, each bean is processed entirely by hand. The hand‑made approach, he explained, “helps produce flavors that distinguish from comparable products of other origins.”
Thomas Lehoux opened a conversation about the project:
We would love the Chinese market to discover a rare coffee specialty from Mauritius.
He followed with another remark emphasizing the connection between his small island operation and the vast Chinese market:
I believe there can be a strong link between us as a small producer on a small island and a big market like China.
Chamarel Coffee’s presence at the CIIE is expected to connect with a range of Chinese stakeholders, from importers and upscale restaurants to specialty coffee shops and roasters. These interactions, Lehoux said, “will give us a best chance to better understand Chinese consumers' preferences and explore ways to tailor products to the market.”
The expo also serves as a platform for the company to gauge the growing interest in bean varieties, flavor profiles and places of origin in China, where overall coffee consumption has risen in recent years, according to Lehoux.
In preparation for potential business follow‑up, Chamarel Coffee is expanding its plantation, currently covering about 16 hectares. The company’s expansion plans were referenced by Lehoux, but specifics beyond the size and intent remain unstated in the announcement.
Unresolved questions persist. The source does not yet detail how Chamarel Coffee’s beans will perform in the competitive Chinese specialty market, nor does it clarify the exact nature of the expansion process or the timing of when the company will reach new production capacity. The impact of Chinese consumer preferences on shaping the product line also remains unspecified. These uncertainties frame what is known and what is yet to unfold in the coffee’s journey toward China.
