^{Sustainability}
Future proofed

Maeve Holler from World Coffee Research explains the powerful data behind climate-resilient coffee

Words: Maeve Holler
Image: Ashok M / World Coffee Research

The Big Idea:

Climate change is cutting coffee yields, increasing disease risk, and threatening long-term global supply.

World Coffee Research is breeding climate-resilient, high-quality coffee using unprecedented global collaboration and data.

Early trials show promising new varieties that could protect farmer livelihoods and coffee’s future.

Climate change is here and already changing the landscape of the food and beverage industry. Intense and unpredictable weather events are driving crop losses worldwide as many of the plants we’ve depended on to meet supply demands were never designed to withstand such an environment as today’s.

This is the case in many commodities – including tea, wine, cacao, and especially coffee, which depends on specific growing conditions, such as mid-to-high elevation, defined dry and rainy seasons, and moderate, stable temperatures to thrive.

In the mountains of Colombia, where the intensifying El Niño and La Niña cycles are disrupting climatic patterns, coffee growers are experiencing oscillating extremes like prolonged drought and heavy, unseasonal rainfall. Combined, these conditions cause widespread flower dropping, oversaturated root systems, and increased prevalence of pests and diseases in regions previously thought to be safe for cultivating the temperamental crop.* In early 2026, The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, Fedecafé, reported that the country’s coffee production had dropped by 33.5% between January and March compared to the same period the previous year.**

This same story is being told in coffee origins across the world, which face different, yet related, challenges. Meanwhile, consumer demand for coffee is growing, placing enormous pressure on producers globally.*** In this crucial moment, it seems more important than ever for the sector to collaborate on an innovative solution for our favorite crop.

Climate resistant coffee
This is why 200+ coffee companies in 30 countries, including Finlays, have come together to invest in the work of World Coffee Research (WCR), which is creating new, climate-resilient coffee varieties that can grow into trees that produce more beans, offer high cup quality, and improve farmer livelihoods sustainably well into the future. WCR operates the largest and most ambitious global breeding initiative in coffee’s history, the Innovea Coffee Breeding Network, which brings together 11 countries to collaborate and secure the sector at an unprecedented pace.

Image: Jody Johnston for World Coffee Research

Data-driven breeding
The engine behind WCR’s breeding program is its data-driven, global-testing approach. WCR focuses on three high-priority traits – yield, disease resistance, and quality – to determine the success of new varieties created through its breeding program. First, WCR scientists collect genetic data on new crosses, which allows for early screening at the seedling stage of a plant’s life cycle, meaning everything that makes it to the field has already undergone an initial pre-selection process. For example, WCR has established markers for certain disease resistance genes, and any seedlings without this marker might be discarded before they reach the field.

Once the pre-selected seedlings are in the field, WCR and its partners monitor the performance of these plants by collecting multiple data points to measure each respective trait (for example, yield is defined by several factors – including but not limited to – a given tree’s bean density, number of defects, and size of beans, while quality is defined by cup scores, key attributes, the intensity of attributes, and others). This data is analyzed, integrated into predictive models, and used to make decisions about plant selections that both rank highly in terms of priority traits and meet demand signals from WCR member companies and partners to ensure the relevance of new varieties for coffee farmers, as well as companies such as Finlays, and coffee drinkers around the world.

While this data-driven approach is not new to many other crops, WCR is the first organization to take such a large-scale, collaborative approach in coffee. It is producing an enormous, robust dataset that is made even more powerful through the global network of producing countries collaborating to make the initiative possible. The cutting-edge scientists steering the helm at WCR use modern, sophisticated techniques for analysis.

“Using global performance data and layering on genetic markers, cup quality, and other forms of analysis in this way will ultimately drive WCR’s success in developing the varieties the coffee sector needs,” said Senior Director of Innovation Dr. Tania Humphrey. “With this approach, our breeding program can make more efficient and precise selections to identify the new plants that meet the requirements of farmers in producing countries, and the coffee industry whose products depend on them.”

Image: Jody Johnston for World Coffee Research

WCR operates the largest and most ambitious global breeding initiative in coffee’s history.”

Image: Jody Johnston for World Coffee Research

WCR is the first organization to take such a large-scale, collaborative approach in coffee.”

Collaborative cupping
WCR is advancing elite coffee varieties for trial and release in the coming years. In April, WCR hosted its first-ever industry cupping of its arabica coffees, which brought together 18 cuppers from 15 companies, who boasted 215 years of combined cupping expertise, to conduct a rigorous sensory evaluation of coffee from young plants.

“The experience was deeply meaningful because it allowed me to connect with coffee professionals from around the world, and, most importantly, to cup coffees that have never been evaluated before. Being present at that stage of innovation felt like a rare privilege and honor—to witness and contribute, in a small way, to coffee history,” said Aukse McCoy, Coffee Development Manager at Finlays.

This event marked a significant milestone for WCR and the sector at large—the future of coffee is arriving. We are closer than ever to ensuring a sustainable supply of coffee for generations to come. When we get the plant right, everything else multiples.

Image: Julio Diaz for World Coffee Research

WCR is advancing elite coffee varieties for trial and release in the coming years.”

References
*United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service, Colombia: Coffee Annual Report (May 2025/2026 Forecast Edition).
** National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (Fedecafé) Official Production Statistical Report (Q1 2026).
*** International Coffee Organization, Coffee Market Report—November 2025.

Christine Tan
International Sales
at Damin