Inside the exhibition hall of the 139th Canton Fair, a smart robotic coffee booth drew a packed crowd of international buyers. The robot's seamless movements, paired with the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee, drew waves of admiration.

This coffee equipment that had foreign visitors lining up to try was produced by Guangdong GLEEEE Coffee Co., Ltd., a company rooted in Guangzhou's Nansha District.

Liu Minjian, affectionately known in the industry as "Brother Man," is at the helm. Just ten years ago, he was a Starbucks barista earning a modest 1,800 yuan a month. Today, he leads a company that supplies over 50 million cups of coffee a year.

In 2014, Liu began his coffee journey at Starbucks in Guangzhou. Today, Brother Man and his business partner have founded GLEEEE Coffee, operating a modern, 6,000-square-meter factory in Nansha, with annual coffee bean sales exceeding 1,000 metric tons. According to incomplete statistics, one in three cafés in Guangzhou use his beans.

Currently, Guangzhou boasts the second-highest number of cafés of any city in China. This vast consumer market provides massive data-driven support for GLEEEE Coffee's R&D. At present, GLEEEE holds a 30% market share in Guangzhou, with the Greater Bay Area serving as its solid core hinterland.

 "Our vision is for the whole country to enjoy coffee made by Guangzhou's GLEEEE this year—and for every place in the world where coffee is brewed to enjoy it as well," said Liu Minjian.

Source: Guangzhou Daily
English Author & Editor: Wen Junhua