There is a real tension in the fact that Jiangmen, a place not known for growing coffee beans, has built itself into a coffee powerhouse with an annual output value of more than 3 billion yuan. Yet the people of Guangdong, with their remarkable ability to create something out of nothing, have turned that tension into strength and transformed the seemingly impossible into a vivid reality. This is a miracle, but more than that, it is a spirit.

Jiangmen's connection with coffee dates back to the 1860s, when Wuyi forebears crossed the ocean in search of new opportunities. After China's reform and opening up, coffee companies from Hong Kong, China and Macao, China, under pressure from rising costs, urgently needed to relocate their production bases. With its geographical proximity and close cultural and people-to-people ties, Jiangmen was among the first to receive this industrial transfer, becoming one of the earliest coffee bean roasting production bases on the Chinese mainland. This is precisely the Guangdong ability to "create something out of nothing." Jiangmen does not have the climatic conditions for coffee cultivation, but it has a global network of overseas Chinese; it does not enjoy an advantage in raw materials, but it has a sharp instinct for seizing industrial transfer opportunities and a solid manufacturing foundation. From "beans" to "cups," Jiangmen has built a complete industrial chain spanning green coffee bean trading, smart roasting and precision manufacturing.

At the beginning of 2026, Guangdong launched the "Guangdong Goods Global Reach" spring campaign, aiming to promote the upgrading of "made in Guangdong" into "Guangdong's smart manufacturing," and to drive a shift from merely making products to creating manufacturing aesthetics. Jiangmen's coffee industry is a vivid example of this transformation. It is by no means a simple story of OEM production. From smart roasting to coffee-making robots, behind "Jiangmen's smart manufacturing" lies a leap in precision manufacturing capability.

Technology, quality and culture have become the three key strengths underpinning today's "Guangdong Goods Global Reach" campaign. Elements of the hometown of overseas Chinese such as Birds' Paradise, Xinhui mandarin and palm-leaf fans have all been incorporated into cultural and creative coffee wares, while the coffee industrial chain has shifted from simple processing toward the integration of R&D, production and sales. Even more noteworthy is the cultural empowerment of the "Qiaodu Coffee" brand. New models linking coffee with festivals and coffee with cultural creativity continue to emerge, while a series of events under the Jiangmen Coffee Culture Week have brought the brand vividly to life. Coffee is no longer merely a drink; it has become a distinctive, warm and refined lifestyle of the hometown of overseas Chinese. This lifestyle and its life aesthetics are now being continuously shared with the world, and this is the deeper meaning of "manufacturing aesthetics."

The story of Jiangmen coffee is a microcosm of the transformation of Guangdong's manufacturing industry. It shows us that when Guangdong goods go global, what travels is not only merchandise, but also creativity. It is not about selling whatever one happens to have, but about creating what the market needs. It is not only about production capacity, but also about the ability to integrate industrial chains. It is not only about price advantages, but also about the boldness and wisdom to create something out of nothing.

A place that does not grow many coffee beans can still help define the "Jiangmen standard" for the global coffee industry, and this is the compelling story of "Guangdong Goods Global Reach" in the new era.

江门“咖啡王国”，把张力变成能力

一片并不盛产咖啡豆的土地，一个年产值超30亿元的“咖啡王国”，这两者并存于同一个空间，有着事实上的张力。但是，广东人硬是以“无中生有”的神奇，把张力变成了能力，把不可能描绘成现实图景。这是一个奇迹，更是一种精神。

江门与咖啡的缘分，始于19世纪60年代远渡重洋的五邑先辈。改革开放后，港澳咖啡企业因成本压力亟需转移生产基地，江门凭借地缘相近、人缘相亲的优势，率先承接产业转移，形成了内地最早的咖啡豆烘焙基地之一。这正是广东人“无中生有”的本事。 江门没有咖啡种植的气候禀赋，却有遍布全球的华侨网络；没有原料优势，却有承接产业转移的敏锐嗅觉和制造根基。从“豆子”到“杯子”，江门构建起从生豆贸易、智能烘焙到精密制造的完整产业链。

2026年初，广东启动“广货行天下”春季行动，推动“广东制造”向“广东智造”跃升，从“制造产品”向“制造美学”转变。江门咖啡产业恰是这一转型的生动注脚，它绝非简单的代工复制，从智能烘焙到咖啡机器人，“江门智造”的背后，是精密制造能力的跃迁。

技术、品质与文化构成了今天“广货行天下”的三大利器。小鸟天堂、新会柑、葵扇等侨乡元素都被融入到文创咖啡器具，咖啡产业链已经从单一加工向研产销一体化转型。更值得一提的是“侨都咖啡”品牌的文化赋能。“咖啡+节庆”“咖啡+文创”等链接模式不断创新，中国侨都咖啡文化周系列活动活色生香，咖啡已经不仅仅是一杯饮品，而成为一种特色鲜明、温润如玉的侨乡生活方式，并且这种生活方式、生活美学正在持续向全球输出，这正是“制造美学”的深层内涵。

江门咖啡的故事，是广东制造业转型的微观缩影。它告诉我们：广货行天下，行的不仅是货物，更是创造力，不是有什么卖什么，而是市场需要什么，就创造什么；不仅是产能，更是产业链的整合能力；不仅是价格优势，更是“无中生有”的豪迈和智慧。

一片并不盛产咖啡豆的地方，照样可以定义全球咖啡产业的“江门标准”——这正是新时代“广货行天下”的动人叙事。

文 | 林如敏
译｜郑奕玲
英文审校｜曾敏