Feature: Turkish coffee expected to attract Chinese consumers at CIIE

ISTANBUL, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- As the fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened on Thursday in the country's east coastal city of Shanghai, a Turkish brand is in the hope that more Chinese consumers will taste the delicious Turkish coffee.

Established in 1966, Arzum is a major Turkish producer exporting products to 42 countries and regions, including China.

Among the company's product ranges to be showcased at the expo, a distinguished machine will become a big draw, Murat Kolbasi, chairman of Arzum Electrical Home Appliances, told Xinhua at a showroom in Turkey's Istanbul.

"The main product range which was planned to enter the Chinese market in the upcoming period and be presented at the expo will be the Turkish coffee machine," he said.

In Kolbasi's view, coffee consumption has seen a tremendous rise in China, and the country's market has enormous potential for Turkish coffee, which was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization in 2013.

"We think we can achieve significant growth in the Chinese market," he said, voicing his hope that Turkey's share will rise exponentially with the help of the expo.

Kolbasi's teams have also been working on making Turkish coffee with coffee beans grown in China. "As our experiences get matured, we will develop this part of business as well," he said.

The expo will be beneficial for Arzum to develop new business relations with Chinese companies and promote a wide range of products, he added.

The pandemic, he said, has brought about a change in the way of life in China, and people started to spend more time at home, cooking, cleaning, and doing diverse housework.

"So Chinese people realized a large increase in demand for all kinds of electrical home appliances," he said, adding that "we think that we can satisfy these demands in the market with our products."

The company has participated in the previous CIIEs. Initiated in 2018, the CIIE is the world's first dedicated import exhibition. Nearly 3,000 businesses from 127 countries and regions are attending the fourth CIIE, which covers an offline exhibition area of 366,000 square meters.