IN FOCUS // World Coffee Research
A brighter future The coffee industry has been left behind when it comes to agricultural production, but World Coffee Research is putting in the work to make a change. WORDS Aristine Dobson COFFEE IS BIG business in Australia, and
consumer demand continues to increase. But in recent years, the coffee industry has been
increase coffee production, and so far, it has
helped the sector move in the right direction. WCR’s 2021 research was published by the
significantly impacted by climate change.
organisation in partnership with Illycaffè and
and under-innovated crops in the world despite
genes and genetic markers associated with
Coffee is one of the most under-researched its prevalence.
World Coffee Research (WCR) was formed
in 2011 to address such issues. Since then, the not-for-profit organisation has made strides
to ensure the future of the industry as well as
improve the livelihoods of the people who work within it.
The 2021 WCR Annual Report reveals the
progress made in accelerating agricultural production, breeding programs and trials,
diversifying coffee species and most importantly, creating climate-resilient crops.
Hospitality speaks to Director of Strategy and
Communications Hanna Neuschwander about the recent findings and what it means for the sector moving forward.
World Coffee Research focuses on three key areas within coffee agriculture — breeding,
trials and nurseries. All three work together to 8 | Hospitality
“Coffee is arriving very late to these approaches, which
Lavazza and allows producers “to identify key
have been used
important plant characteristics that matter for
for other crops
farmers”, says Hanna Neuschwander. “Having that information helps speed up the breeding process and makes it cheaper.”
The Arabica coffee genome didn’t exist 10
years ago, but has become the coffee of choice for many, comprising 60 per cent of global
production. It’s one of 130 species and is highly sought after, making the open-access genome
a huge milestone for the coffee community. “It is critical for enabling breeders to accelerate
crop improvement for coffee, which is urgently needed,” says Neuschwander. “Farmers need
access to better varieties to meet the challenges
of the 21st century. The more tools breeders have at their disposal, the more likely they are to help address those needs through breeding.”
The Coffee-Breeding Program Assessment
Tool was implemented in 2020 by WCR in
collaboration with the University of Queensland.
for years.” – Hanna Neuschwander
