Did you know that most agricultural products have robust research and development supporting their growth and viability? Watermelon breeding, for example, has produced more than 3,000 distinct varieties, to ensure we can continue to enjoy watermelon, whatever pests or weather the future brings.
Coffee, by contrast, does not enjoy such R&D. In 2017, it had just 36 distinct varieties.
World Coffee Research (WCR), an industry-funded non-profit research organization, has been working to close the estimated $452 million per-year investment gap needed to bring coffee on par with other agricultural industries and help to ensure its future. And to point, the newest version of the WCR coffee varieties catalog now includes 55 Arabica varieties.
To help us all address the investment deficit, WCR has created the WCR Checkoff Program.
What Is the WCR Checkoff Program?
The Checkoff Program is a way for green buyers to invest pennies per pound to ensure the future of coffee. The contribution is calibrated to roasters’ and retailers’ purchase volumes and is built into the cost of green coffee. The Checkoff Program enables roasters to make small donations that they can “set and forget” but that collectively add up to real impact.
How Does It Work?
Just let your InterAmerican Coffee trader know what rate of cents-per-pound you’d like to contribute, and it will be added to your green coffee purchase contract. InterAmerican disperses all Checkoff contributions to WCR on a quarterly basis. What’s more, InterAmerican has been a matching partner since 2012. That means every cent per pound you commit to is doubled by our matching contribution!
What Is the Impact?
Contributing to the WCR Checkoff program allows roasters to play an active role in ensuring the future of coffee. In 2023, the WCR made huge advancements that will continue to positively impact the coffee industry for years to come.
For example, it conducted the International Multilocation Variety Trial (IMLVT), the world’s largest coffee variety trial, with a data set derived from 31 coffee varieties grown on 29 test plots across 18 countries. The project analysed how a given varietal performed across a range of environments regarding resiliency, yield and cup quality. Not only has this work given producers access to varieties previously not grown in certain areas, it also continues to provide rigorous performance data so thaproducers can make optimal choices when investing in coffee plants for their farms.
InterAmerican San Diego team members Kayd Whalen, Erika Hernandez and Dana Andrews cupping samples in 2023 for the WCR International Multilocation Variety Trial.
Along the same lines, WCR is releasing a new Arabica DNA fingerprinting tool that will reduce the cost of identifying plant varieties. The tool has already been used to clean up seed lots in Latin America, ensuring the traceability and accuracy of plants being propagated across nurseries. That means when a producer chooses to plant a varietal, she can be sure that it’s labeled correctly and benefit from the promised results.
These are just a few examples of the innovative work being done by World Coffee Research. We hope you’ll join us by investing in the future of coffee through the WCR Checkoff Program! •
Lead photo courtesy of World Coffee Research.
