As you can probably imagine, I love a good cup of coffee in the morning, Arabica to be precise, and I don’t think to be alone. I somehow even ask you to read these lines accompanied by a beverage of grounded roasted beans and hot water.
Following research from 2020 (Nab & Maslin), we produce over 9.5 billion kg of coffee around the world each year. This is apparently worth 30.9 billion dollars or around 26 billion euros. Reading the same research, the global demand for coffee will triple this production by 2050. Knowing that most of today’s production is far from being ecologically sustainable, such an augmentation will only raise pressure on forests and other habitats in the tropical regions where the coffee cherries are grown and farmers look for new land to till. The researchers found that changing how coffee is grown, transported and consumed could slash the crop’s carbon emissions by up to 77% (Maslin, 2021).
Coffee and Carbon Dioxide
One kilogram of Arabica coffee (grown and delivered) produces a bit more than 15 kilograms of carbon dioxide on average. As an example, by using less fertiliser, managing water and energy use more efficiently during milling, as well as changing the transport, that figure could fall to 3.5 kg of CO2 per kilo. As a comparison, the same emission quantity as driving 22 km instead of 94 km with an average van registered in the EU in 2018 (average of 158.1 g of CO2 per km, source: European Environment Agency, 2020). Consequently my morning mug of freshly grounded Arabica has a carbon footprint of about 0.28 kg, but it could be as little as 0.06 kg if grown and shipped differently.
A shocker, at least for me, and another sign to seriously and sincerely consider what finishes in my cup and how it gets there. I loved to buy my certified sustainable beans at a Parisian or German roastery, accepting to pay more for my needed morning caffeine shot, just to learn that roasting coffee beans in their country of origin would make them lighter during transport, so vessels could burn less fuel transporting the same amount of coffee and be even more sustainable: That’d be glocal coffee at its best.
A graph comparing the carbon footprint of different types of coffee beverages. Opting for oat milk or other non-dairy alternatives can help coffee drinkers lower their carbon footprint. Nab & Maslin (2020)
There are two widely traded coffee crop species. Arabica, the barista’s choice and “best” coffee available, as well as Robusta, being mainly used for instant coffee and blends. Besides the mentioned high CO2 footprint, climate change is transforming the coffee business even further. And not for the better.
Diseases and pests are becoming more common and severe as temperatures rise. The fungal infection known as coffee leaf rust has devastated plantations in Central and South America. And while Robusta crops tend to be more resistant, they need plenty of rain – a tall order as droughts proliferate (Davis, 2021). Another tricky situation…
Innovative coffee beans for a conscient sip
What if there was an innovative new, but very old, little-known wild coffee species that could be a perfect replacement?
Stenophylla may be the answer... This species was first described in 1834. It was then farmed across the wet parts of upper west Africa until the early 20th century, when it was replaced by the more profitable Robusta. It has since been largely forgotten, but as all good things it has gone rogue and continued to grow wild in the humid forests of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast.
It is in mid-2020, when British researchers found a 10 g sample of stenophylla for tasting in Sierra Leone. The tasting with international experts was a huge surprise. Those first sips were apparently revelatory: “It was like expecting vinegar and getting champagne.” Researchers, as well as coffee connoisseurs, were surprised, as no other wild coffee species has come close to arabica for its superior taste. Following the publication, stenophylla grows in hot conditions at low elevations. It supports temperatures 2°C higher than robusta, and up to 6.8°C higher than arabica. Stenophylla also appears more tolerant of droughts, potentially capable of growing with less rainfall than arabica.
This year the amazing technical “innovation-part” began. Scientists started to breed the coffee crop plants of the future with great flavour and high heat tolerance. Experiments of crossbreeding stenophylla with arabica or robusta could make both more resilient to climate change, and even improve their taste.
I am desperately waiting for the coffee shops to open again, after the covid lockdown, just to have a freshly brewed flatwhite somewhere else than home or the office. I am hopefully waiting for that first mug of sustainable stenophylla coffee. Innovation in a cup at the beginning of a day of change.
Now, please have another conscient sip.