Community cafes thrive in Yunyan

Nearly 400 market entities in Yunyan district are now engaged in the coffee business, accounting for one quarter of Guiyang's total and ranking first citywide. More than 80 percent of these outlets are scattered amid old streets and residential compounds, blending into residents' daily lives.

Baristas are busy making coffee. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

Wang Zirong, owner of the Deng Ni 1920 located on Caijia Street, said the cafe has built up over 2,000 registered members over the past three years. Its signature Guizhou-themed coffee sells nearly 300 cups daily, with a repeat customer rate of 75 percent.

Located on Shengfu Road, Combos assembles professional baristas and specializes in specialty extraction. The cafe has become a popular destination for coffee lovers, attracting visitors from across Guizhou province.

"On holidays, we sell 300 cups a day with footfall five times the usual level," said Long Yuanyi, the cafe's manager. The venue also runs professional coffee training courses, which have enrolled a total of 300 trainees interested in learning coffee brewing techniques.

Combos is located on Shengfu Road in Yunyan. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

Less than 300 meters away from Combos sits Duide Coffee Lab, which has adopted a special small-store business model. With no dine-in seating available and takeaway-only service, its 10-square-meter space is almost entirely occupied by the working counter.

"We focus on grab-and-go coffee," said shop assistant Chen Xi. Around 50,000 office workers live within a two-kilometer radius of the outlet. Catering to commuters' demand for coffee has helped the shop pinpoint its market niche. During peak hours, it fills up to 150 orders per day, with traditional Americanos and lattes remaining the top sellers.

Yunyan houses over 1 million permanent residents, with nearly 20,000 college graduates nesting here every year. Local residents and tourists form the customer base sustaining the local coffee business.

Evolving from compact individual shops into industrial clusters, cafes tucked away in alleyways and rooted in local communities, with high-density layouts and affordable prices, are emerging as important drivers of consumption growth in Yunyan's old downtown area.