NEWS In brief
NEWS DRIPBYDRIP AFRICA In 2020, Ethiopia is hosting its firstever Cup of Excellence competition, the annual Alliance for Coffee Excellence event that identifies and celebrates the highest-quality coffees around the world. While international judging occurred outside of origin due to the coronavirus pandemic, the competition aims to boost awareness of Ethiopian coffee. It is hoped the inaugural event will help drive interest at the farmer level to produce higherquality coffee. See page 28.
AMERICAS Since the 2016 Paris Agreement first set into motion global commitments to slow climate change by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions, companies and organisations around the world have been making their own commitments to lessen their respective carbon footprints. Coffee is no exception, with industry leaders like illycaffé and Starbucks committing to sustainable action. At origin, World Coffee Research continues its multi-location variety trial, testing a number of varieties in diverse growing regions. This includes trial sites in Zambia, where the hottest month maximum last year was 34°C. The Costa Rican Coffee Institute has also trained 8500 farmers in good agronomical practices specifically to reduce carbon emissions. At the mill level, 62 of Costa Rica’s 272 coffee mills have become low carbon and three are completely carbon neutral. See page 12.
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The Ethiopian Cup of Excellence will take place for the first time in 2020.
The world’s coffee supply has been threatened by climate change and low prices for several years. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic provides an additional challenge to the industry, bringing an even greater sense of urgency to the issue of economic sustainability for the sector, from farmers to consumers. The International Coffee Organization estimates the global 2019-20 output at around 168.9 million 60-kilogram bags. This is a result of lower prices as well as Brazil being in the off-year of its biennial Arabica cycle rather than any impact from the coronavirus. See page 16. Coffee shop culture has taken off across the world, and where it goes, the ready-to-drink market follows. A historic focus on brand recognition has led to Americanstyle RTD coffee spreading to other regions. In January 2020, US plantbased beverage company Califia Farms received US$225 million in a financing round to build on the
success of its oat platform and launch other product lines. However, an increased focus on functionality could suggest a new direction for the future. See page 20. According to World Coffee Research’s latest study on genetic diversity, Arabica coffee plants are one of the least genetically diverse major crop species in the world. The study concluded that with a significant likelihood, Arabica derived from a spontaneous coupling of Coffea canepohra and Coffea eugonioides species. See page 25. In February 2020, the Colombian Government launched a Coffee Price Stabilisation Fund, worth COL$218 billion (about US$64 million) to protect producers from volatile coffee prices, which have masked a deficit of washed Arabica in the international market. See page 32.
27,944 The number of tonnes of coffee produced by Swedish coffee roaster Löfbergs in 2019.
