The company has since developed steady cooperation with more than 30,000 rural households in its tea-production base in Banzhang village.

Unsophisticated production techniques and an underdeveloped market had kept local tea farmers from achieving good sales, says Li Wenshun, a purchasing manager with the Kunming company.

The highest price for premium tea was only 40 yuan a kilogram then, he says.

"We helped them improve procedures and ensure they follow our hygiene requirements."

The company also gave the planters free bamboo mats for collection and drying.

"The leaves can't touch the ground at any point," Li Wenshun says.

Farmers were also trained in modern processing and management methods to increase their output and produce premium tea.

Products are identified with QR codes so consumers can track information from picking to processing, packaging, storage and circulation.

Over the years, prices have surged to between 100,000 yuan and 120,000 yuan a kilogram.