World Coffee Research

"From when we started Driftaway, we have been looking for more ways to contribute to better lives for coffee growers. We realized that the biggest challenge for farmers was unpredictability. Things like climate change, weather patterns, and coffee plant diseases. And that's where all of the critical work WCR is doing fits perfectly—by helping farmers lead more sustainable lives by growing better coffee. —Suyog Mody, CEO, Driftaway Coffee Learn how you can help secure the future of coffee: https://lnkd.in/ezRXdBhe

WCR works across these four integrated program areas to put the best coffee varieties into farmers’ hands: ✅ Breeding ✅ Trials ✅ Nursery/Seed Sector Work ✅ Global Leadership We work urgently on these program areas in multiple strategically targeted countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America that contain 50% of the world’s 12.5 million family coffee farms and generate 30% of the global coffee supply. Our collaborative partnerships enable us to elevate shared priorities for agricultural innovation, driving value for everyone from farmers to consumers. Find out about our program areas and more in our annual report here: https://lnkd.in/g7t5hXcV

World Coffee Research has announced the transition of its F1 hybrids to pre-commercial trials, as part of its F1 project.

We are delighted to have Pablo von Waldenfels, Director Corporate Responsibility of Tchibo as a speaker at the World Coffee Innovation Summit London 16-17th October 2024. Pablo von Waldenfels has been in charge of the management of the entire CR department in a job-sharing concept since the end of 2022. He has been responsible for the transformation towards sustainable and future-proof coffee supply chains. Together with his team as well as business partners, coffee farmers, and other stakeholders along the value chain, he designs and manages in-country sustainability programs. These serve as pilots and implementing grounds for the development of better farm incomes, supply chains that do not respect human rights violations and to strengthen environmentally friendly coffee cultivation. In addition, Pablo von Waldenfels is Vice Chair of the Board of World Coffee Research (WCR) and a member of the Steering Committee of the International Coffee Partners (ICP). Join us and engage with him. Register Now 👉 https://lnkd.in/df_2eH98 Take advantage of the Early Bird rate and secure your pass today. #WCIS24 #Coffee #Climatechange #Finance #Innovation #EUDR #Sustainability #Traceability #CoffeeSupplyChain #Smallholderfarmers #CS3D

Breeding can fortify global robusta supplies to avert supply shortages. Globally, current levels of investment in robusta research and breeding are not sufficient to meet the growing demand for robusta or the evolving quality needs of the market. However, national breeding programs are positioning themselves for innovation. A global, collaborative breeding effort could address supply shortages and quality needs. This past year, WCR published the "Opportunities for robusta variety innovation report" to examine current and future trends for robusta supply and demand, as well as existing resources for genetic improvement. You can find out about WCR's work in robusta breeding and more in our annual report in addition to the white paper here: https://lnkd.in/gJGr6MUU

Thank you to Grist for reporting on Innovea—World Coffee Research's global arabica breeding network—and how the program is on track to transform coffee production and ensure its sustainability in the face of climate change. As journalist Jonathan W. Rosen writes, "In an industry that has long neglected to fund research and development, Innovea, a collaboration with government-affiliated research institutions in nine partner countries, including Kenya, is widely considered to be the most sweeping coffee breeding initiative in decades." Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gcNF-RRc This work is made possible by our 170 members in 29 countries across the world investing in innovation, and we welcome other coffee companies to join us as we forge the future of our favorite crop. Explore membership: https://lnkd.in/ezRXdBhe

An international public-private partnership is supercharging coffee breeding to save your morning brew. David Ngibuini is a second-generation coffee farmer in Kenya’s central highlands, an area of cool temperatures and rich volcanic soil that’s long been one of the best places to grow coffee on Earth. On an afternoon in May, after a couple of months of rain, his 11-acre plot is lush. Six thousand trees — nearly all of them varieties of Coffea arabica, the most widely consumed and best-tasting coffee species — sit in neatly planted rows, their waxy deep green leaves shimmering in the sun. Workers sort a pile of freshly-picked cherries — the red fruit that contains the beans that will be fermented, dried and shipped to roasters around the world. The vigor of this year’s harvest masks a deeper, existential struggle. Arabica coffee, which has been farmed in Kenya since the 19th century, is especially vulnerable to climate change. One 2022 study, from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, projects the amount of land most suitable to growing it will fall more than 50% by 2050... https://lnkd.in/gYEh43Ph World Coffee Research Grist

What does the future of coffee taste like? Earlier this month we were honoured to sample three hybrid coffees from World Coffee Research’s F1 Hybrid Trials program. World Coffee Research created these coffees by crossing two different parent varieties, giving them a higher genetic potential, which makes them more likely to be adaptable across a wide range of environments. Scientific research such as this is imperative to the long-term future of the coffee industry which is facing huge challenges such as climate change, price volatility and decreasing land available for coffee cultivation. That’s why we need to create new varietals that are resistant to changes in climate, that yield more, that are better quality. This will help farmers create profitable businesses, supporting the long-term sustainability of coffee production. Fresh from the tasting session, Finlays’ Global Head of Coffee, Tom Blackwall, unpacks the importance of these trials in supporting the long-term sustainability of the coffee industry. Watch below for an overview and read the full article from Tom here: https://lnkd.in/eaw-x_Sr You can also find out more about the latest on the F1 Hybrids trial here https://lnkd.in/gcwcdyRS #ThisIsFinlays #Sustainability #Coffee #BeverageSolutions

Our F1 hybrids are transitioning to pre-commercial trials! In 2022, World Coffee Research (WCR) announced the completion of its F1 hybrids phase 1 trials through which four finalist candidates were identified. Now, in 2024, these four hybrids will move into an initial pre-commercial trial phase to view the opportunities for uptake and adoption by key industry partners. Partners—including Counter Culture Coffee in collaboration with Aquiares Estate Coffee, Cafcom, Blue Bottle Coffee in collaboration with Los Volcanes Coffee, Falcon Coffees Ltd Peru in collaboration with CENFROCAFE, Hacienda Alsacia Starbucks Coffee Farm, and Volcafe Peru in collaboration with Starbucks—will establish 10 trial plots across 3 countries: Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Peru to test the performance of 10,000 hybrid plants propagated via somatic embryogenesis by CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza) in Costa Rica. Find out more about this new phase of our F1 hybrid trials here: https://lnkd.in/gcwcdyRS

One of the main challenges in plant breeding is the data collection part. Measuring all growth traits manually to characterise the coffee plant. This has been made easy by use of the #fieldbook app that can be easily downloaded on your phone. Data collected is easily transferred to your laptop in excel format for other data processes to follow. Unlike the conventional way of collecting data in papers and the keying them one by one alot of #errors do occur. What is the next step, how do we incorporate the #AI technology to carry out yield estimates instead of doing berry counts manually which is tedious? Looking forward to a future where the use of #AI in coffee breeding in Kenya will be a reality. This technology will be crucial in prediction of yield, bean traits and disease monitoring. The technology can be used by farmers in monitoring their farms and making #decisions on time in their coffee production Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) World Coffee Research