With a delicious mixture of natural flavours from pure peppermint and decadent baker’s chocolate, Peppermint Mocha provides a refreshing burst of cool mint to melt away the stress of the season. The fair trade certified roast is made with organic robusta and arabica beans for a bold, balanced, and smooth cup of premium coffee.

“Following the success of our fall pumpkin chai blend, we knew our consumers wanted a flavour that would capture the essence of the holidays,” said Tom Ennis, president and CEO of Death Wish Coffee Co. “With a deeply delicious and refreshing taste free from artificial ingredients, we’re confident that Peppermint Mocha will quickly become a fan favourite and seasonal staple.”

Peppermint Mocha is available in 9 oz. ground bags and 10-count pods on www.deathwishcoffee.com, Amazon, and at major retailers nationwide, such as Sprouts, Publix, Wegmans, and Kroger, and in select Target and Albertsons stores.

In addition to its flavoured offerings, Death Wish Coffee Co. has an option for all coffee preferences with its core portfolio of medium, dark, espresso, and a recently released light roast. Death Wish Coffee Co.’s products adhere to rigorous standards that protect the environment and livelihoods of coffee farmers. For more information about Death Wish Coffee Co. and its full range of products, please visit www.deathwishcoffee.com, and follow the brand on Instagram @deathwishcoffee.

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“The production environments are changing so fast that what we do today is not going to work 30 years from now,” said Hannah Neuschwander, director of communications and strategy, World Coffee Research (WCR). “So, you must have a pipeline that is continuously responding to those changes; the way of doing things in the past where the breeding program dissolves after you get one or three good varieties is no longer going to work.”

By 2030 ,WCR will release 100 new varieties. Currently, there are 119 registered varieties, including Arabica and Canephora varietals. However, there is the capacity to release an additional 100 every three years. “We are continuously taking the best and ditching the worst,” said Jennifer (Vern) Long, CEO of World Coffee Research. The pipeline that we have now activated includes nine government partners. It is going to change the narrative completely.” World Coffee Research has recently introduced speed breeding to allow farmers to add seeds instead of seedlings to their production, significantly reducing transportation challenges that some of the farmers faced with hybrids. The method of speed breeding accelerates the seed cycle, tweaking environmental factors, such as water, light, and temperature, to get a plant that flowers as soon as possible. “We will be releasing 100 candidates
in 2030 that will be available for trialling,” said Long. The intent is to provide farmers with several options to help determine which varietal they want for their production.

Dr Steffen Schwarz, director and founder of Coffee Consulate in Germany, is a passionate collector of coffee species and varietals. Currently, he has over 320 different varieties, from several species of coffee, that he cultivates with colleagues and over 120 in a living collection in a greenhouse in Germany. When exploring coffee, Dr Schwarz stressed the importance of understanding both the industry’s challenges and potential, which includes looking into the possibility of integrating a variety of coffee species into commercial production.

“The challenge we have, which impacts all agricultural crops, is climate change,” said Dr Schwarz. “Anything we’re using now has been adapted to other situations.” In coffee, most of the discussion about resiliency is centred on Arabica. However, he stressed that the coffee industry must also consider the challenges that Canephora faces. “Canephora has 90 percent of its roots in 30 centimetres of the soil, which means it’s super narrow, and if there’s a drought, there is no reservoir that Canephora can connect to.”

The changing climate impacts the microbiome and nutrients in the soil. The different environmental conditions, whether wet, dry, hotter or cooler, change which plants can live in that space. “Plants are not simple organisms. They have an active transport that goes by the microbes and bacteria that move into
it and carry the substances and nutrients into the plant,” Dr Schwarz explained, stressing that by investing the time to understand the various species, and in particular the root system of these plants, the industry can learn both about the resiliency of the plant, while also gaining insight into the flavour profile.

He pointed out that Canephora has a much more narrow, aromatic feel than the Arabica, whose roots go much deeper. “And Liberica’s roots go even deeper, which is why it comes out with wild notes that are incredible, but because it has so much sugar, it ferments,” shared Schwarz, adding, “so if you don’t control it after harvest, ideally within 30 minutes from picking, then you may end up with a coffee that has these strange wild flavours that are due to the uncontrolled fermentation.”

Root research can deepen the understanding of the various coffee species themselves and bring to
light the potential of bringing two species of coffee together through grafting. “One of the reasons we’re interested in root research is we see some really positive benefits from grafting Arabica and Robusta onto Excelsa because of its extensive root system,” said Aaron Davis, senior research leader, Crops and Global Change, Kew Gardens, Sussex, United Kingdom. “If you can swallow the costs of doing it, then grafting could be a viable and useful option for many farmers.”

Digging into Wild Species: Liberica, Stenophylla and Excelsa

Challenges with Robusta and Arabica crops, including pests, disease, and overall resiliency, have resulted in other countries looking at alternative species, specifically Excelsa and Liberica, both of which were planted as border crops to draw out pests. When coffee wilt devastated the Robusta plants in Uganda, shared Davis, the farmers discovered that the Excelsa species were resistant. In India, farmers also found that Excelsa appeared to survive drought episodes. There are several trial plots of Excelsa in Uganda, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, and India. “They needed something that is going to be viable, particularly when they’ve witnessed the drought episodes in Uganda in the last couple of years,” said Davis. “Farmers recognised that these species could help bridge production volumes.”

Excelsa’s growth has been rapid, with Davis’s team working with approximately 250 farms. In Uganda, an additional 100 farms, including cooperatives, are either growing or inquiring about acquiring Excelsa, and the government supports these investments. In South Sudan, approximately 1000 hectares are dedicated to growing Excelsa.

“People are flipping the script when it comes to Excelsa, shifting it from a cheap filler to a priced commodity with the potential of becoming a specialty coffee,” said Michael Mazzotta, co-founder, Excelsa Coffee, San Diego, California. “It’s finally getting the image that it deserves.”

Excelsa Coffee’s online shop, which launched earlier this year, immediately garnered consumer interest and quickly sold out the product. However, it has also resulted in several Excelsa producers from across the globe reaching out, hoping to export their products to America. “One of our biggest challenges is simply lack of consumer awareness and understanding,” said Olin Patterson, co-founder, Excelsa Coffee. “We’ll keep networking, having events and drinking Excelsa every day. We love it, but the reality is it will take several years for the market to understand that there are nuances in coffee.”

Excelsa Coffee can be purchased through several online channels in the United States, including Amazon, Walmart, and social media platforms, with plans to open its retail shop in early 2025. Patterson and Mazzotta are also working with producers in Central America and South Sudan and researchers at UC Davis and the University of Florida to deepen their understanding of Excelsa and its potential as a commercial product.

“Coffee is a very sophisticated field, with so many different varieties, said Dr Carmen Ablan Lagman, researcher and professor at De La Salle University, Manilla, Philippines. “But we are focusing on one group, Arabica, because that’s the high value item.

“Lagman stressed that Liberica, with its unique flavour profile, has the potential of moving into the specialty sector. “What we have to do now is convince [producers] that quality is very important,” said Lagman. “It’s difficult to get from normal to specialty, but then the ROI from that is a huge difference.”

Today, there are at least three substantial producers of Liberica in Malaysia, with production expanding
in the Philippines and India. “In the Philippines, we are not up against coffee versus some other plant or product; we’re talking about coffee versus subdivision or store fronts,” said Lagman. “We have to be strategic in a way that we develop coffee so that the return from doing this is bigger than people buying the land for subdivisions.” This includes considering both the benefits that these species provide, and their limitations.

Understanding the Alternate Species

“There are several intrinsic limitations with Liberica because of the biology of the plant; it has a very thick pulp, it also has very large seeds, and the out-turn from fresh cherry to clean coffee is very low,” said Davis. Left on their own, these plants can grow over 30 feet tall, making it difficult to harvest. Although there are several similarities between Liberica and Excelsa, Davis shared that next-generation sequencing methods confirm that these are, in fact, two distinct species. “They’re different not just on the molecular side, but also on the basic characteristics in terms of seeds, fruits, flowers,” he said.

Kew Research currently has three research projects on Excelsa and Liberica, including one large project focused on genotyping and DNA sequencing work. “I think there will be gains in breeding for both
Arabica and Robusta, with some being more resilient than others.” Davis wants to ensure that farmers have access to other species of coffee, especially when Canephora and Arabica may no longer be an option.

Understanding the story of these alternate species is vital to unearthing the possibilities in coffee and rewriting the coffee landscape. However, the future coffee story does not need to be an ‘either/or’ option; instead, the industry would benefit by considering how these species can become a part of the experience. “What’s really heartening and exciting is that people are really excited about the wild species,” said Neuschwander, “We want all of these species to be explored and utilised, to continue to provide that diversity that makes coffee interesting and an important livelihood option for many people.”

• Anne-Marie Hardie is a freelance writer, professor and speaker based in Barrie, Ontario. She may be reached at: annemariehardie1@gmail.com

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illycaffè has long been committed to mitigating the effects of climate change throughout the entire supply chain, starting with coffee cultivation, for which it promotes the sustainable model of regenerative agriculture. This model allows for proper nourishment of the plants, naturally regenerating the soil, and thus reducing CO2 emissions. Additionally, this new type of cultivation allows for an improvement in the health of the ecosystem thanks to the increased biodiversity of the species used for ground cover and soil dynamics. In the Cerrado Mineiro region, where the company has been working hand in hand with local producers for over thirty years, the Arabica Selection Brazil coffee has been grown by applying the best regenerative practices certified regenagri.

“The Arabica Selection Brazil Cerrado Mineiro is the result of the relationship we have built over the years with coffee producers and the Federation of Producers of Cerrado Mineiro. We have shared the urgency of finding a solution to the effects of climate change,” comments Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè. “Aware that this challenge can only be overcome by joining forces, we have identified the best techniques for ecosystem adaptation, mitigation, and regeneration, producing the first 100% Arabica coffee sourced from certified regenerative agriculture, as certified by regenagri.”

The reduction of natural resource exploitation, soil regeneration, and the preservation of biodiversity and future land productivity are some of the results achieved through the application of regenerative agronomic practices selected by illycaffè. This model shifts the focus from the plant to the soil, offering the best natural solutions to nourish, strengthen, and make it fertile and resilient to external threats.

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The UK roaster launched the Arabica variety as a world-exclusive in 2020 in joint collaboration with Cenicafé National Research Centre, the FNC (Colombian Coffee Federation), and a number of Colombian coffee farmers that it works with on a long-term, direct-trade basis. 

Cenicafé 1 was developed as an answer to climate change in Colombia. It’s resistant to pests which thrive as the planet heats up and grows in these warmer temperatures, meaning farmers don’t need to deforest land further up the mountain to make ends meet.

Will Corby, Pact’s director of coffee and social impact, said, “First and foremost, I want to recognise the decades of work that Cenicafé put into developing this variety, as well as the trust they put in us to bring this to market as a single-varietal coffee for the very first time.

“It’s also down to María Olano, a true coffee expert and close friend of ours at the FNC, Cecilia Camacho, who was behind the first Cenicafé 1 coffee on our menu, and all other farmers that we’ve worked with who have taken the pioneering step to plant this variety to combat climate change”. 

“This is far from the sole achievement of Pact Coffee. No individual could have done this alone – and this only goes to show the importance of a direct-trade supply chain and what this can mean for sustainability.”

Cenicafé 1 is set to return to the Pact menu this autumn. 

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Using traditional breeding methods, Nestlé plant scientists and agronomists have developed Star 4, a novel high-yielding Arabica coffee variety. Selected in Brazil for its resilience, the new variety also possesses the characteristic taste of Brazilian coffee.

“We are proud to make another important step towards resilient coffee supply chains, ensuring that consumers can continue to enjoy great coffee in the future. The new variety is characterised by its larger bean size and coffee leaf rust resistance. Our field trials have demonstrated that, using similar inputs, the yields of Star 4 are substantially higher than the two most used Brazilian local varieties, which reduces its carbon footprint,” said Jeroen Dijkman, head of Nestlé’s Institute of Agricultural Sciences.

Reduced GHG emissions from higher coffee yields are attributed to improved plant productivity as well as farming methods. Marcelo Burity, Nestlé’s head of green coffee development, commented: “Optimising cultivation practices remains vital as they are the primary factor contributing to the environmental impact of a cup of coffee.” The largest share of GHG emissions in the process of obtaining ground coffee originates from its cultivation.

The development of locally relevant solutions such as Star 4 also contributes to Nestlé’s Agriculture Framework (pdf, 18Mb) promoting sustainable farming practices and responsible sourcing. The first plants were tested in São Paulo and Minas Gerais, two traditional coffee regions in Brazil. Moreover, in partnership with the Brazilian foundation Procafé, Nestlé was successful in registering the novel Arabica variety in Brazil.

Beyond the development of Star 4, Nestlé previously developed two Robusta varieties Roubi 1 and 2 which are being rolled out in Mexico.

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illycaffè has long been committed to mitigating the effects of climate change throughout the entire supply chain, starting with coffee cultivation, for which it promotes the sustainable model of regenerative agriculture. This model allows for proper nourishment of the plants, naturally regenerating the soil, and thus reducing CO2 emissions. Additionally, this new type of cultivation allows for an improvement in the health of the ecosystem thanks to the increased biodiversity of the species used for ground cover and soil dynamics. In the Cerrado Mineiro region, where the company has been working hand in hand with local producers for over thirty years, the Arabica Selection Brazil coffee has been grown by applying the best regenerative practices certified regenagri.

“The Arabica Selection Brazil Cerrado Mineiro is the result of the relationship we have built over the years with coffee producers and the Federation of Producers of Cerrado Mineiro. We have shared the urgency of finding a solution to the effects of climate change,” commented Cristina Scocchia, CEO of illycaffè. “Aware that this challenge can only be overcome by joining forces, we have identified the best techniques for ecosystem adaptation, mitigation, and regeneration, producing the first 100% Arabica coffee sourced from certified regenerative agriculture, as regenagri certified.”

The reduction of natural resource exploitation, soil regeneration, and the preservation of biodiversity and future land productivity are some of the results achieved through the application of regenerative agronomic practices selected by illycaffè. This model shifts the focus from the plant to the soil, offering the best natural solutions to nourish, strengthen, and make it fertile and resilient to external threats.

The Arabica Selection Brazil Cerrado Mineiro, with its hints of caramel and nuts, is available in 250g cans in both whole bean and ground versions. The products can be purchased from illy.com from 1 October and Waitrose from 16 October.

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Robusta farmers have a new open-access resource at their fingertips—World Coffee Research’s (WCR) Robusta Variety Catalog. The catalogue, which is available in English and Spanish, profiles 47 robusta varieties—from origins such as Brazil, India, Indonesia, Uganda, Mexico, and Vietnam—using 20+ variables, like yield potential, stature, bean size, nutrition requirements, lineage, susceptibility to pests/diseases, and many more. The catalogue is hosted alongside WCR’s existing Arabica Varieties Catalog on the interactive website varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org.

With robusta’s growing prevalence in the global market, WCR hopes the catalogue will lower the risk associated with coffee farming by providing direct information to enable farmers and other planting decision-makers to make an informed choice about what varieties will grow best in particular environments.

Since the life of a coffee tree is 20-30 years, the decision farmers make about which variety to plant has long-term consequences. If a farmer makes an uninformed decision on variety, the cumulative loss can be huge. Comparatively, if a farmer makes the right decision, the cumulative gain can be significant. For example, a robusta farmer in Uganda who successfully cultivates a healthy Coffee Wilt Disease resistant (CWD-r) plant can earn 250% more than a farmer who plants a susceptible, unhealthy plant.

Most robusta farmers in particular do not have access to transparent information about available varieties and how they differ. Robusta farmers typically sell into lower-value markets where variety differentiation is nonexistent. In addition, robusta requires more than one variety and simultaneous flowering for successful pollination. Because of this, farmers must cultivate a mixt of complementary clones to enhance fruit production and quality. These mixtures, which typically comprise officially-released commercial varieties, are often distributed to farmers with minimal transparency about what clones are included in the mix and their unique properties. The lack of up-to-date variety information puts farmers at risk and perpetuates low yields around the globe.

This resource serves as an expansion of WCR’s popular Arabica Variety Catalog, which was launched in 2016 and profiles arabica varieties from around the world. At the time of its release, the arabica catalogue was a first-of-its-kind resource and the only global compendium of information about available coffee varieties for farmers, buyers, and roasters. The resource has been viewed over one million times since its launch and, as a living document, continues to support WCR’s goal to improve the availability and accessibility of improved planting material for farmers around the world.

Until recently, arabica held reign over most of the coffee market due to preferences for its beverage quality, but various factors, including the increasing demand and climate pressure for farmers, have led to expansions in the production of robusta.

“Since our founding over ten years ago, WCR has worked to empower farmers by making tools available to choose the right varieties for their farms and their markets—varieties that deliver high yield and better-tasting coffee in the long term,” said WCR’s chief executive officer Dr Jennifer “Vern” Long. “And, now that robusta comprises 40% of the coffee produced and marketed globally, we saw the need to support farmers by creating this tool.”

The robusta catalogue was generated through collaborative sourcing of data about varieties from breeders and other experts, including the Central Coffee Research Institute (CCRI), the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), the National Coffee Research Institute of Uganda (NaCORI-Uganda), the Western Highlands Agroforestry Science Institute (WASI), and Nestlé’s Research Center. The varieties in the robusta catalogue were selected for inclusion because of their economic, historical, cultural, or genetic importance. Even so, significant gaps in data for many Robusta varieties remain. The genetic diversity of robusta coffee is also much larger than that of arabica, and it is only just beginning to be explored by breeders and the industry at large. The catalogue, therefore, does not aim to represent an exhaustive list of all coffee varieties in existence.

Alongside the detailed variety profiles, users can find a consolidated and peer-reviewed history of robusta as a species, which tracks it from its origins in central and western sub-Saharan Africa through its dispersal across Asia and Latin America to its cultivation today. In addition, the history provides a brief overview of the genetic diversity and conservation of robusta to provide readers the opportunity to better understand how well-differentiated the various populations of this species are.

The interactive catalogue website features the ability to filter on different variables, such as yield potential, country of release, and more. It also includes the ability to generate a unique, customisable PDF with the varieties of the user’s choice, and a new visualisation of the genetic groups of the included varieties. Both the arabica and robusta catalogues are shared via Creative Commons licenses that make them available for free distribution worldwide.

The robusta and arabica catalogues can be accessed free of cost at varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org.

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