Yunnan-based coffee grower Hogood Coffee has reportedly signed a deal to export 240 tons of coffee beans per month to the US, a major step for the company, which is aiming to become China's first listed coffee company.

The agreement between Hogood and Denmark-based ECUM Coffee Group's US subsidiary Atlantic (USA) Inc, will commence in April and will be the largest direct export of Yunnan coffee beans to a Western country by a Chinese company to date.

Yunnan coffee, which accounts for 98 percent of the coffee grown in China, typically reaches foreign markets via international suppliers including Starbucks and Nescafe.

Hogood's chairman Xiong Xiangru said that the company's development strategy in the coming years will be to move away from being a supplier to foreign companies and marketing its own branded products. However, Hogood – formerly known as Hougu – may find that its new English name is awkward to Western ears.

Hogood's export deal is the second major boost for the 'Yunnan coffee' brand in the last half year. Last November, Starbucks announced that it would begin marketing a blend featuring Yunnan coffee under the name 'South of the Clouds'.