World Coffee Research (WCR) is a non-profit agricultural research organisation established in 2012 to drive innovation in coffee agriculture. Its mission is to enhance coffee quality, reduce supply chain risks, and make coffee farming a sustainable and profitable livelihood. By addressing these challenges, WCR aims to meet the growing global demand for coffee while protecting our natural resources.
World Coffee Research reports that by 2030, the world could face a significant shortage of millions of coffee bags – a date not all that far away. As demand for coffee continues to rise, climate change is placing increasing pressure on agricultural landscapes. Developing high-yield coffee varieties is crucial to tackling this challenge.
Smallholder farmers produce 60% of the world’s coffee supply, according to research[1]. Those with access to tools, technology, and knowledge are more likely to achieve financial success and remain in the industry.
Currently, global coffee production is highly concentrated, with 74% of coffee being produced in just five countries.[2] Supporting more diverse coffee-growing regions can spread economic benefits to farmers in other nations, provide roasters with a wider range of options, and reduce industry risk.
To prevent supply disruptions, over-consolidation, and declining production, WCR calculates that an additional $452 million annually is required[3] to fund research and development in coffee agriculture.
“Research is an essential basis for improving the ‘goodness’ of coffee: how good it tastes, how good it is for the planet’, and how good it is for the people who grow it”
– World Coffee Research
Why invest in the future of coffee?
Investment in coffee research and development (R&D) helps improve and preserve coffee’s quality, its environmental sustainability, and the livelihoods of the people who grow it. R&D creates tools, technology, and knowledge to mitigate the risks farmers and businesses face due to unpredictable climate impacts. The insights and resources generated through research benefit millions of farmers worldwide and have a large-scale impact.
Why agricultural research?
Science is essential for securing a sustainable, long-term supply of high-quality coffee. Improved coffee varieties reduce risks for farmers, enhance climate resilience, and increase productivity—helping to achieve more good beans from each tree. These innovations are also vital for reducing the greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation associated with coffee farming. The research conducted today will shape the future of coffee, enabling advancements in yield, quality, climate resilience, and farmer profitability.
What does WCR do?
World Coffee Research drives innovation to protect the diversity of coffee origins. The organisation’s research focuses on significantly improving coffee productivity, quality, climate resilience, and the livelihoods of farmers. By working in strategic regions, WCR supports the competitiveness of diverse coffee origins and collaborates with national and international partners to achieve these goals.
WCR places emphasis on coffee varieties and knowledge. The coffee plant is the foundation of the entire value chain, generating billions of pounds in global economic value and sustaining the livelihoods of millions – from farmers to baristas. WCR works to develop better coffee plant varieties and ensure farmers can access them.
Even the best coffee varieties are ineffective if farmers cannot access them. Currently, many farmers are unaware of the varieties they grow and lack access to improved options. WCR strengthens seed systems, develops new tools, purifies seed lots, and trains nurseries, making improved plants available and accessible to farmers worldwide.
WCR’s global reach
WCR operates in 11 key countries that are critical to preserving origin diversity.
These countries account for 50% of the world’s 12.5 million family coffee farms and produce 30% of the global coffee supply. WCR aims to strengthen the competitiveness of these regions and help them address major threats to coffee quality and supply.
Falcon and the Checkoff Programme: How you can help
WCR has introduced a programme to enable coffee roasters to contribute a per-pound premium from their coffee purchases towards research funding. Roasters can contribute between 1/10 and 1 cent per pound of green coffee, with the amount built right into the cost of the green coffee purchase, making it a seamless “set it and forget it” way to invest each year in vital research. Falcon handles the administration of the additional funds directly to World Coffee Research four times a year.
Since 2017, over $235,000 in research funding has been contributed to World Coffee Research by Falcon and our customers. If you are interested in participating or learning more, please contact us.
1 Siles, P., Cerdán, C., & Staver, C. (2022). Smallholder Coffee in the Global Economy—A framework to explore transformation alternatives of traditional agroforestry for greater economic, ecological, and livelihood viability. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.808207.
2 The world’s top five producers of coffee are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, and Ethiopia. This percentage was calculated using the total coffee production volume generated by the top five producing countries over the total global production volume for both arabica and robusta between 2019–2022. Source: International Coffee Organization trade statistics tables, https://www.ico.org/trade_statistics.asp.
3 Maredia, M. and Martínez, J. M. (2023). Coffee’s innovation crisis: Determining the size of the agricultural R&D investment gap for coffee amid growing consumer demand and the climate crisis. World Coffee Research. https://worldcoffeeresearch.org/resources/coffees-innovation-crisis