Starbucks Corporation senior vice president and president for greater China Wang Jinlong said that the coffee chain will launch its first local coffee beverages in China, using coffee beans grown in Yunnan province, according to media reports.

In light of increasing food safety concerns in China, Wang said that Starbucks would establish a strict inspection and quality control system for local suppliers in Yunnan.

In 2007, Starbucks representatives visited with coffee farmers in southern Yunnan to help them meet company sourcing standards, with an eye on launching Yunnan coffee within China's domestic market and perhaps even internationally.

The move by Starbucks to localize some of its coffees in its China outlets is seen by analysts as a response to the current global financial crisis, trimming transportation costs and reducing tariffs paid on imported coffee beans.

Despite aggressive expansion in mainland China and sourcing Yunnan beans, Starbucks has yet to open retail outlets in Kunming or elsewhere in Yunnan.