Yunnan brands are shifting from raw-material export to “brand globalization” as they strive to promote the southwestern province’s distinctive culture overseas and move up the global value chain — and Hong Kong serves as an ideal platform for this drive, Yunnan food industry players said on Thursday.

They made the remarks on the sidelines of the Greater Bay Area Conference 2025: Financial Connectivity, Nurturing Talent, Building Cultural Bridges, co-organized by China Daily and Hong Kong Coalition.

As a special supporter of the forum, Yunnan province displayed some of its local cultural products at the event, including coffee, black tea and dessert.

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In the early days, when Yunnan brands expanded overseas, they paid little attention to the concept of “brand globalization” and focused more on exporting raw materials, said Wang Ruogu, founder of Terre •Petales, a Yunnan-based flower-fermented coffee brand. As a result, the province had well-known product categories but few renowned brands, she said.

The situation has been changing in recent years, with local industry players’ brand awareness increasing. “Nowadays, brands in Yunnan have gradually developed a stronger brand awareness. They are shifting from exporting raw materials of specific categories or varieties to exporting finished products, complete commodities and advancing their brand globalization,” she said.

Wang said she believes Yunnan’s cultural products have enormous potential in the international market, given the province’s unique characteristics. The company plans to expand its footprints in markets that have high coffee consumption, such as Australia, Europe, and North America.

“Hong Kong is an international platform that gathers global talents, diverse cultures and abundant commodities. Yunnan, with its distinct characteristics, also aspires to showcase itself to the world through Hong Kong,” said Wang, who is also general manager of Kunming Treasure Cloud Technology Co Ltd.

“We hope to leverage Hong Kong’s platform to connect with local importers, exporters, and agents in various countries, and promote our products through both online and offline channels.”

Lily Luo, founder of Pure Fields, a Yunnan brand focusing on the development of wild mushroom-based food products, echoed Wang’s views.

“We are stepping up our internationalization push, with a focus on such markets as Southeast Asia, the United States and Australia. Hong Kong plays the role of the gateway for us to reach overseas partners and consumers,” she said.

Luo also stressed the importance of brand innovation and added value in the process for Chinese mainland brands to move up the global value chain.

“Chinese mainland boasts abundant natural resources and supply chain advantages. It is necessary to further strengthen brand innovation, equip products with cultural value, and learn from the experience of brand and standard construction from other countries, in order to create transnational brands,” she said.

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Chen Jibin, sales director of the South China region of Yunnan’s tea brand Chen Sheng Hong, said the tea company is looking to establish its presence in Hong Kong, adding that he believes the city with a profound tea-drinking history presents a large business opportunity.

The connection between Hong Kong and Yunnan has been growing, with more and more Hong Kong residents traveling to Yunnan for tourism, and their recognition of the local culture is growing, he said.

“We are upbeat over our development in the Hong Kong market. We are currently in the process of seeking local distributors. In the longer run, we aim to leverage our channels in the city to expand overseas,” Chen said.

Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com