World Coffee Research

Did you hear? Our F1 hybrids are moving to pre-commercial trials! To evaluate the hybrid materials in true commercial conditions, the pre-commercial plots will be planted on industry partners’ farmer fields. Over the next 6 years, WCR and partners will be evaluating the materials for pest/disease resistance and yield while under different standards according to each partner’s requirement for larger commercial production-scale and in various climatic and growing conditions. Moving to a pre-commercial phase is a routine next step in variety development and release—testing material at scale. Read more about this project and its developments: https://lnkd.in/gcwcdyRS

As part of their efforts to address how climate change and economic uncertainty for smallholder coffee farmers are threatening the viability of quality coffee, Keurig Dr Pepper is co-hosting an event on the Campus! They seek to inspire climate action by sharing how long-term investments, programs and partnerships help to preserve the future of coffee and drive meaningful impact at scale with leaders from USAID, Root Capital, World Coffee Research, Keurig Dr Pepper and Dragonfly Advisory. Apply to attend The Future of Coffee event on the Campus today! https://lnkd.in/eusTmxMQ Keurig Dr Pepper Inc., USAID, Root Capital, World Coffee Research. #committoclimate #climateweeknyc #coffee #climatechange #climatefinance

We've formed a strategy to transform robusta breeding. Our strategy is centered on a global, collaborative, and demand-led robusta breeding network. World Coffee Research will partner with national coffee institutes in robusta-producing countries around the world, and this network will operate in parallel to the Innovea Global Coffee Breeding Network for arabica to ensure both species are optimized for the climates and farmers of the future. Read more about our work in robusta and the plan for the network's launch, which is slated for 2025: https://lnkd.in/gvgfZxrw

A flourishing future for coffee is not only possible—it's well within reach. As demand for coffee continues to grow, the effects of climate change are taking a toll on coffee farmers and producing countries are struggling to keep up. These impacts of climate change are only being exacerbated by the limited historical investment in agricultural research & development (R&D) for coffee. Yet, this narrative of limited supply and difficult farmer livelihoods is based on the assumption that our industry continues business as usual—within a limited innovation ecosystem. Thoughtful, focused innovation designed to address the productivity and sustainability challenges facing farmers can achieve environmental goals while improving the economic returns from coffee production, driving lasting change. Learn more about our work and the world of coffee we're envisioning alongside the 190+ companies in 30 countries investing in this future: https://lnkd.in/gFbMnGGv

"World Coffee Research ensures the future of coffee by bringing the industry together to address critical long-term global coffee supply risks. We need new varieties of coffee to support smallholder coffee farmers, preserve our origin diversity, and ensure consumers can enjoy the spectrum of tastes they expect from their favorite brands." —Jim Trout, The J.M. Smucker Co. Your company can join 190+ businesses from 30 countries—brands big and small—that are collectively investing in a more sustainable future for coffee farmers and consumers alike. Explore membership options: https://lnkd.in/ezRXdBhe

Did you know? In recent decades, robusta cultivation has steadily grown, rising from 25% to 40% of total global coffee production since the early 1990s. Until now, arabica held reign over most of the coffee market due to preferences for its cup quality, but many factors, including the increasing demand for coffee have led to expansions in robusta production. In the last year alone, 177 million 60 kilogram bags of coffee were consumed worldwide—a 2.2% increase from the 2022-23 production year and a striking 4.5% jump from 2019-2020 (ICO, April 2024)—and demand is not expected to slow down. Even so, like arabica, robusta is under threat due to increasing consolidation of production, exposure to the impacts of climate change, and lack of investment in research—and our industry is facing supply shortages as early as 2040 for the species. World Coffee Research has identified a clear opportunity for global robusta breeding to overcome this and ensure the industry’s ability to meet supply and quality demands. Read more about our recent work in robusta: https://lnkd.in/gvgfZxrw

"Differentiated varieties give farmers choices." —WCR Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Jennifer "Vern" Long We're shaping the future of coffee through agricultural research & development and an agenda shaped by hundreds of companies worldwide invested in the success and sustainability of the industry. Learn more about our work and strategy on our website: worldcoffeeresearch.org

Our work is rooted in globally coordinated scientific collaboration that's necessary for driving progress for the future of coffee. In a recent article on coffee sustainability and variety improvement published in Frontiers, researchers Godfrey M. Ngure and Kazuo Watanabe cite this type of collaboration as essential to long-term success: "Arguably, the WCR collaboration model is poised for success mostly because it breaks the barriers of isolated country-centric efforts that have dominated coffee breeding in the past, achieving only modest gains. Working together, collaborating coffee-producing countries will have access to a wider pool of breeding populations and modern breeding tools, thereby accelerating the pace of coffee research and development, and delivering to farmers and consumers varieties suited to their needs." Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gsk6sH5U

Farmers worldwide currently have limited choices when it comes to the varieties they can plant. Old trees and obsolete varieties cannot withstand the changing climate and future environmental shifts. That's why our global breeding programs will deliver significantly higher-performing varieties in the next six years. With this future in mind, we're ensuring that distribution channels for plants—nursery and seed systems—can move better trees to farmers' fields and unlock the tremendous potential of improved materials. We bring low-cost quality assurance tools and expert knowledge into collaborations with producing country authorities and local stakeholders so we can get stronger varieties flowing sooner. Learn more about the seeds we're planting for a brighter future for coffee: https://lnkd.in/et_XJQX6

We work urgently to make better plants available and accessible to farmers to enhance coffee productivity, profitability, quality, and climate resilience. In particular, we support the professionalization of nurseries and seed systems, conduct variety trials, and use modern, demand-led coffee breeding to create the next generation of high-quality coffee plants. Learn more about our integrated research portfolio that focuses on the development and increased availability/accessibility of improved varieties: https://lnkd.in/et_XJQX6