The future of coffee production depends largely on developing novel, more resilient coffee varieties. Pests, diseases, and climate change threaten overall yields, reducing supply that is already struggling to meet demand, and increasing demand. Fresh varieties bred for a specific purpose may offer at least a partial solution.
Since 2015 Global Coffee Research is developing novel F1 hybrids that will be more resistant to climate change while still having high cup quality. Now, nine years later, they have selected four novel varieties that will move into pre-commercial testing to see how they perform in real-world conditions.
Announced via press releasethese hybrids are the four that performed best in Phase 1 testing in 2022. Each hybrid is a cross between Sarchimor and Gesha, with the former characterized by higher yields, leaf rust resistance, and the ability to grow well at lower altitudes, while the latter is known for its cup profile. The hybrids are expected to have positive traits of both parent plants.
In the next phase of testing, the pre-commercial phase, WCR will soon find out. Working with member companies that have offered to participate in the trials, a total of 10,000 of these hybrids will be planted in 10 test plots in Costa Rica, Guatemala and Peru to understand how they perform in real commercial conditions. The companies participating in the trial are “Counter Culture Coffee in partnership with Aquiares Estate, Cafcom, Blue Bottle Coffee in partnership with Los Volcanes, Falcon Coffees Peru in partnership with CENFROCAFE, Starbucks’ Alsacia Farm and Volcafe Peru in partnership with Starbucks.”
The trials will continue for the next six years, during which WCR and its partners will regularly evaluate the hybrids for pest and disease resistance, as well as overall yield, to see what conditions the varieties are best suited for. The coffees will also be evaluated for flavor quality.
“With this novel evaluation cycle, we want to learn more about how these hybrids perform in real-world field conditions and determine whether any of them could add value to coffee production in the future,” says Emilia Umaña, WCR’s senior nursery program manager. “We also want to better understand the system for responsibly introducing novel materials to the market—paving the way for many future versions.”
If, upon completion of testing, one of the novel hybrids proves to be superior and outperforms existing varieties, WCR will work to distribute the F1 on a much larger scale to a global network of coffee producers who can benefit from it.
For more information on pre-commercial research, visit World Coffee Research official website.
