I am looking forward to seeking these out, Wandering around with a goal in mind feels more purposeful than wandering around aimlessly. thanks for the information

There are several private Coffee bean brands besides those listed and Indonesian coffee shops in Kunming. Taste and atmosphere determine what one likes.

Yes, it seems to be a lot of local brands are springing up, roasting the beans themselves; and many are trying to attract premium prices.
I have tried a few of these and they are pretty mediocre. Yunnan beans are not the world's greatest. I have refused to buy Yunnan beans roasted by a local amateur, who wanted to charge more than some Columbian coffees.
I don't know how much raw beans cost now, but considering they come in a large sack, and are locally produced/procured probably not that much.

@tigertiger: I've seen a bit of this too.

I was talking to the guy at Lanyard Coffee, and he had some good points.

First off, the varietal most plantations plant in Yunnan is pretty run-of-the-mill, so we might get some decent beans from the right places, but we can't expect something great.

Second, coffee hasn't been grown here very long. When you buy high priced, specialty-grade coffee beans, you're buying from places that have been growing coffee for many generations, working out the best varietals for the local climate and soil type, and the best practices to cultivate tasty beans.

Yunnan has been growing coffee for about a generation, and a lot of the plantations have just started out in the past few years, chasing the gold rush that started when Starbucks began sourcing here.

The Baoshan coffee scene has been around for a while and is a bit more sensible, but things are a bit crazy down in Puer. Land is really expensive right now, because of the various pricey commodities competing for space: rubber, puer tea and coffee. Starbucks and Nestle are making big bulk purchases, and can manage the price, but a lot of other people are getting drawn in to a get rich quick mentality. Often the prices can be a lot higher than the quality would normally dictate.

In a few more years, when more of the plantations mature, we should expect to see a drop in price, and a lot of people will pull out of the market. A few years after that, we'll hopefully see some quality coffees at a decent price.

All true, but one advantage of local beans is that they don't have to be shipped around the world - and anyway I really like the dark roast Hani beans.

Hani beans are realistically priced. I am talking about some of the local muppets with $$ eyes. Beans that don't have to be shipped around the world, and don't need to cost more than beans that are.

@Xiefeil, agree with all you said. Although it must be born in mind that some regions that have grown coffee for generations never have and never will produce top quality. But will be sold for making instant coffee or some of the non-de-script catering coffees. A bit like some wines.