International Delegates Observe Coffee Innovation and Youth Talent in Guangdong

The 2025 Guangdong Provincial Barista Vocational Skills Competition concluded in Jiangmen, Guangdong on 30 November, bringing together 68 baristas from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao for three days of competition. The event coincided with visits by international delegates from Sri Lanka, Iran and Fiji, as well as international journalistsattending cross-cultural exchanges and sampling local specialty coffee ahead of the 2025 "Understanding China" Conference in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Their arrival brought fresh global attention to Jiangmen's fast-growing coffee industry and its young workforce.

Long known as a historic hometown of overseas Chinese, Jiangmen has rapidly built a complete coffee industry chain—from bean processing and roasting to equipment manufacturing and brand incubation—emerging as a rising hub in the Greater Bay Area's innovation economy.

Josaia Gonewai, Special Administrator of Suva City Council in Fiji, said he was impressed by the creativity of Chinese youth in the sector. He noted particular interest in Jiangmen-manufactured equipment capable of producing hundreds of flavor profiles, calling it "a cross-disciplinary innovation rarely seen worldwide." He described China's young coffee professionals as a "Technocrat Generation" combining technical skill with global vision.

Reza Pirpiran, Counsellor at the Embassy of Iran in China, stressed the importance of returning overseas Chinese and skilled youth in driving both industrial and cultural development. "When young people reconnect with their roots, they bring not only experience but new ways of thinking," he said.

Both visitors agreed the competition reflects the wider role of skilled talent in China's upgrading industries. Gonewai predicted that "I won't be surprised if China's next major coffee chain could emerge from among today's young talents."

As the event closed, baristas from across the Greater Bay Area demonstrated increasingly international standards, underscoring Jiangmen's growing position in the region's innovation landscape—and highlighting a clear trend: young skilled talent is becoming a key engine in China's evolving coffee economy.

"Young people are the future of the industry," Gonewai said. "And here, they have a genuinely vast stage."