Under the flickering lights of Dublin’s 2016 World Barista Championship, Hu Ying stood trembling, her hands steadying a pour-over as China’s hopes rested on her shoulders. In a tea-dominated nation, she dared to chase a dream, her heart racing with the weight of being an early pioneer. Born into a world where coffee was a whisper, Hu transformed that challenge into a triumph, her journey from ex-barista champion to female entrepreneur now lighting up Guizhou’s coffee scene. This is the story of a woman who turned curiosity into connection.
Hu Ying at WBC
Hu’s coffee story began in 2005, fresh from university, when she opened a modest space in Guiyang. It wasn’t a traditional café but a warm haven where locals sipped drinks and shared stories, its walls alive with the buzz of connection. She recalls it as having “a café’s soul,” a place where community blossomed. For nearly a decade, this space was her canvas, blending creativity and conversation. Around 2010, a new spark ignited—specialty coffee. Hu joined China’s second wave of enthusiasts. “We were early, part of something fresh,” she says, her eyes tracing the memory of those pioneering days.
Guiyang, far from the cosmopolitan pulse of Shanghai or Shenzhen, was a daunting stage. Hu describes it as having “zero coffee culture,” a place where artisanal brews were unheard of. “It felt like planting trees in a desert,” she reflects, her voice steady with resolve. With little market demand and an economy uninterested in specialty coffee, Hu faced steep challenges. Coffee shops were seen as risky ventures before 2019, and financial losses loomed large. As a barista stepping into ownership, she navigated a steep learning curve, each stumble a lesson carved deep.
“I believed special coffee would find its people,”
she says, her quiet faith a beacon through the uncertainty.
A transformative moment came in 2014, when Hu journeyed to Colombia’s coffee farms, a leap that stirred her soul. Flying halfway across the globe, she stood amid rolling hills, the air rich with the scent of ripening coffee cherries. “It was surreal, I’d come so far for coffee, for its story.”
Walking the farms, she touched the beans, met growers whose lives were woven into each harvest, and tasted flavors that danced with life—floral, fruity, vibrant. The experience was a revelation, her eyes welling with wonder as she felt coffee’s power to connect worlds. “I wanted to bring that magic to Guiyang,” she says, her voice soft but fierce, “to share the heart of those fields.” That trip became her touchstone, a reminder of why she poured her life into coffee.
Back in Guiyang, Hu channeled her passion into her craft. In 2015, she won the China Barista Championship, earning a spot at the 2016 WBC in Dublin. The stage was daunting, the excitement overwhelming, yet it fueled her resolve to bring coffee’s warmth back home. Her time there wasn’t just about brewing—it was about learning from a global family, a lesson that deepened her humanity.
“It’s a huge success for China,”
Judge Ruky told her. The global stage was daunting, but Hu’s joy was in showcasing her country’s emerging coffee scene. “Time felt so full,” she reflects, “like the years hadn’t passed.” Her achievement was a beacon for China’s growing coffee community, a sign of what was possible, joining the efforts of many who helped brew this awakening.
Hu’s spirit was shaped by those who came before her. As an ex-barista champion, she drew inspiration from Pete Licata, their mastery on the world stage igniting her awe for the craft. As a café owner, she found wisdom in Starbucks’ golden era—its peak in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when innovative store designs and a focus on customer experience turned coffee into a global phenomenon. She pored over books detailing that success, learning to blend business with heart. As a coffee enthusiast, the Ratatouille food critic opened her eyes to flavors beyond the cup, fueling her curiosity. These influences molded her into a woman of resilience, always seeking to connect through coffee’s rich tapestry.
Hu Ying
In 2020, Hu launched Duide (对的) Coffee, a specialty café built on a decade of hard-won lessons. Unlike her earlier space, Duide was a love letter to coffee, sourcing exceptional green beans with vivid, unique profiles—beans that captivated the global coffee world with their clarity and depth. Her signature champion milk coffee, crafted with competition-honed care, became a favorite, not for its title but for its soulful quality. Customers didn’t just drink at Duide; they felt transported, one describing it as a “masterclass” in craft and connection. “Small things are not simple,” her team’s guiding principle, echoed Hu’s belief in deliberate, patient work, learned from years of practicing calligraphy’s steady strokes.
Hu’s philosophy is a quiet call to action: trust your senses, find joy in the moment. “Authentic experiences are what matter,” she insists, urging coffee lovers to savor each sip, not chase trends or titles. She mentors her baristas to chase growth over profit, asking, “What café stirs your heart?” Her team’s handbook opens with a truth: “Quality demands time.” For Hu, coffee is a craft of patience, like perfecting a brushstroke, each step a commitment to excellence. “You can’t rush true flavor,” she says, her voice warm with wisdom.
The road to Duide was fraught with trials. Guiyang’s market was skeptical, its culture unready for specialty coffee. Early ventures from 2005 to 2015 faltered, teaching Hu resilience through every misstep. Financial pressures tested her, but her belief in coffee’s magic held firm. “If it’s special, it will connect,” she told herself, crafting a space where every bean, every pour, felt alive with intention. Her Colombia trip remained her guiding light, its memory a reminder of coffee’s ability to bridge worlds. Her eyes bright with passion, and told us
“Those farms showed me coffee’s soul, I wanted Guiyang to taste that story.”
Hu-Ying’s-coffee-story
Today, Duide Coffee stands as a testament to Hu’s quiet courage. It’s a haven where locals discover the magic of specialty coffee—bright Ethiopian florals, rich Colombian chocolates—each cup a journey. Hu’s vision grows—she’s expanding with a Tianmao store and a baking factory, sharing exceptional beans with China’s coffee lovers. Her story, woven into the fabric of China’s coffee awakening, it is a testament to the collective dreams that have carried China’s coffee culture from Guiyang’s streets to the world stage.
