Coffee is in danger. Due to climate change, dozens of coffee bean varieties face an uncertain future. To prevent this, the non-profit organization World Coffee Research has been collaborating with members of the coffee chain and the global coffee industry since 2012 to ensure the future of plantations, farmers, producers, and, ultimately, one’s morning coffee.
According to WCR, increasing agricultural productivity via research and development investments is one of the best ways to reduce poverty in low-income countries.
The organization collaborates primarily with coffee research institutions in over a dozen key coffee-producing countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. These institutions conduct agricultural research and development for coffee on behalf of farmers, helping them access the sector’s latest findings and innovations. They also work closely with the 200+ member companies in 30 countries–these companies are coffee machine manufacturers and roasters who fund work to ensure that new varieties taste great and meet the needs of coffee drinkers.
The climate crisis has already impacted 12.5 million coffee farms in 81 countries worldwide.
Extreme conditions like heat, drought, and rainfall can dramatically lower annual yields, compromising bean quality and quantity, as well as the farmers’ economic and food security.
These reductions can lead to a loss of diversity in production origins as farmers struggle to keep up, potentially limiting the coffee supply to fewer countries in the coming decades.
WCR works to improve access to existing high-quality varieties and supports countries to create new climate-change-resistant coffee plants. These new variants could guarantee that the current supply chain survives without sacrificing bean quantity and beverage quality.
The vast problems WCR encounters exist globally, and a single company–or even a single nation–can’t solve them without support from the worldwide community.
To help protect the integrity of coffee enjoyed worldwide today, De’Longhi has partnered with World Coffee Research in addition to its partnership with the Slow Food Coffee Coalition.
“If we do not do something, everyone together, we will not have enough coffee to satisfy world demand and guarantee the supply chain’s survival,” says Zeno Adami, Global Brand Director for De’Longhi.
De’Longhi’s work specifically focuses on supporting funding for WCR research into growing, protecting and enhancing both coffee supplies and the livelihoods of the people who make the product possible.
“We are happy and proud to have De’Longhi to join leaders in the global coffee industry to drive science-based agricultural solutions to urgently secure a diverse and sustainable supply of quality coffee today and for generations to come with WCR,” says Vern Long, CEO of WCR.
Many other initiatives are also foreseen and include giving De’Longhi staff the chance to participate in educational sustainability training sessions and test the taste and quality of the WCR-identified coffee bean varieties with the bean-to-cup coffee machines; contributing to organising WCR-curated events and networking with other members of the coffee industry.
This is how the company aims at supporting coffee production and consumption within its own value chain and globally, helping coffee lovers in discovering what’s behind their cup of coffee and making informed choices.
Coffee lovers can do their part too, WCR advises consumers to continue drinking coffee and expand their horizons by exploring different varieties from around the world, helping the supply chain flourish and persist.
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