@darcy: There are certain costs involved, and foreign companies certainly are subject to a bit more scrutiny than local ones.

On the other hand, it does sometimes make sense to set up a WFOE here. Spousal visas do not give you the right to legally work or do business in China. Also, putting a business in a Chinese person's name, even a spouse's, means you have no legal claim to that business.

Chinese companies also have difficulty getting money out of China to pay for goods and services.

As for the cost of setting up, the going rate for a consultant to do it, about 20,000 CNY, is a little on the steep side. Another approach is to hire an assistant to do it for you, and pay them a regular salary.

If you don't know exactly what you need to prepare beforehand, the process can take several months, so that route doesn't necessarily save much money.

@Tracy: I believe you are talking about Lanyard Coffee. I agree, it is an excellent place. He doesn't sell green beans though, only roasted beans.

I'm sure he'd be happy to give some pointers about buying green coffee beans in Yunnan, though his opinion of Yunnan coffee is quite low.

@Alexez: I don't think it's a huge deal either. Green coffee beans can be stored for a long time. Fresher is of course better, but your average home roaster would be happy with last year's crop.

I know the bragging you're talking about, but Simao does sell quite a lot of beans. Starbucks and Nestle are both doing quite a bit of sourcing there (not exactly a ringing endorsement), and other companies are taking notice.

Australian Bite did a very good spread last year, and had a good vegetarian option. If you're looking for something vegetarian, you might want to give them a call.

Long-Dragon is right about the timing. The harvest is just about to go into full swing, and then there's processing time. You probably won't get the latest batch by the time you want to leave.

I buy most of my green beans on taobao. Search for 生咖啡豆 (raw coffee beans) and 云南

The minimum investment requirement for companies has been cancelled, though there are certain requirements for permanent residence eligibility. There may also be other requirements depending on the type of industry you want to get into.

There are several companies in town providing company registration services. The process can take several months, involving a whole bunch of different government departments. In general, it's worth it to pay someone with experience to do it for you.

As the owner of a foreign-invested company, you will be entitled to a temporary residence permit. These are usually valid for one year, sometimes two. The residence permit is renewed right here in Kunming (or wherever you decide to register the company).

Before beginning, you want to have a good idea of the business you want to do here. Chinese business licenses are very specific about the range of business you are allowed to engage in. Also, there are certain industry sectors that are still closed to foreign investment, or require special licenses.