Coffea stenophylla (commonly called stenophylla) is a species of coffee native to Sierra Leone, a country on the southwest coast of Africa bordering Guinea and Liberia. If you’re not familiar with stenophylla, that’s understandable—it’s a little-known species of coffee compared to its more eminent cousins, Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora (also known as robusta). Sometimes called “mountain coffee,” stenophylla could become an vital tool in the coffee industry’s toolkit for adapting to climate change. As research on the recently rediscovered species continues, scientists and stakeholders are focused on finding ways to grow the industry while supporting communities in Sierra Leone, where the plants were rediscovered in 2019 and are being tested.
In a novel article for the Sprudge Special Projects Desk, Victoria Brown delves into the roadmap that stenophylla offers for a coffee industry that faces a sedate threat from climate change. Her work takes us from researchers in the U.K. to seed nurseries in Sierra Leone, exploring the promise of stenophylla along the way. “We believe that stenophylla will be an significant part of creating a more sustainable coffee supply chain,” says Dave Behrends, managing partner and head of commercial at Sucafina. “Supporting these communities in Sierra Leone and researching stenophylla will potentially facilitate other regions of the world that are suffering from climate change have a viable alternative to coffee production.”
Read “Coffee Stenophylla Ready for a Closer Look” on Sprudge Special Projects
The Special Projects Desk is a hub for original long-form journalism and curated archival material on Sprudge. Since 2009, Sprudge has been the world’s leading home for thought-provoking coffee journalism, evocative photo essays, deep design analysis, and cultural narratives. The Special Projects Desk continues that tradition in 2023 and beyond by showcasing exceptional work in coffee journalism.
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