People of Sucafina: Meet Harry Bindloss

1. Can you tell us about your journey into coffee and what led you to your current role as Managing Director of Sucafina Yunnan? 
My first day in coffee was in southern Tanzania as an intern, undertaking an 18-month rotation around East Africa. The first six months were spent following the supply chain from day one in the field through to sitting in the export warehouse in Dar es Salaam. From there, I spent six months in Kenya and six months in Rwanda. 

After that, I worked for a coffee trading company in the UK for five years before moving back to East Africa as Commercial Manager (again in coffee) in Uganda. 

In 2025 I joined Sucafina, and since then I've leading our China operations, using the skills I learned from both origins and consuming markets. China is a unique market. We have a sizable coffee-growing region in the south while also being a net importer and one of the fastest-growing coffee-consuming destinations in the world. 

2. From your perspective, what are some of the key developments shaping the China’s coffee scene? 
The biggest thing has to be the potential of this market in the long-term. 

Despite China's impressive growth in recent years, coffee consumption remains relatively new compared with other established markets. Today, consumption is largely concentrated in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities. These economic centers account for only around 35 to 40% of the country’s population, yet they represent the majority of China’s coffee consumption. 

Looking ahead, if consumers in lower-tier cities begin drinking coffee more regularly, or existing coffee drinkers increase their daily consumption, China could have a significant impact on global coffee demand in the future. 

3. What are the most valuable lessons you learned from your time at Sucafina? 
Don't try to be an expert in everything. This is why you have colleagues and teams who are experts in their fields. They are there to support you and vice versa. My role is to ensure they are able to do the best using their unique abilities. 

4. What are the most exciting aspects of your role? 
Every day is completely different. I rarely have two days that are the same within a week. Whether it's solving problems with our origin team, working with the destination team on new business and strategy or handling other leadership responsibilities. It’s never boring, and I really enjoy how dynamic the role is. 

5. What inspires you? Either in daily life or in your job? 
What inspires me most is helping other people reach their full potential. I get the greatest satisfaction from seeing members of my team take on greater responsibilities and achieve things they didn't think they were capable of. Watching someone progress from needing support and guidance to becoming a confident, independent contributor is incredibly rewarding. 

6. What advice would you give to someone starting out in the coffee industry today? 
Ask questions all the time. Things that may seem obvious often aren't. Asking questions also shows people that you're listening and making an effort to understand. The worst thing you can do is stay quiet and get left behind. Coffee is a complex industry and there's always something new to learn every day.  

Quick-Fire Questions 

7.  What's one thing people might be surprised to learn about you? 
Recently I went from 0 to 5 cats... fast. Note to self: double-check the cat isn't pregnant when you adopt it. 

8. What's your favorite way to drink coffee right now? 
Cold brew 

9. Morning person or night owl? 
Morning person, but living in Asia, that's becoming more difficult to maintain.