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While global coffee demand continues to rise, recent climate change modelling suggests that land suitable to grow Arabica coffee might be reduced by over 50% by 2050. To mitigate the impact of these changes on the coffee supply chain and to ensure that sustainably grown coffee is available to future generations, Nestlé is harnessing its agricultural sciences capabilities.
Using traditional breeding methods, Nestlé plant scientists and agronomists have developed Star 4, a novel high-yielding Arabica coffee variety. Selected in Brazil for its resilience, the new variety also possesses the characteristic taste of Brazilian coffee.
“We are proud to make another important step towards resilient coffee supply chains, ensuring that consumers can continue to enjoy great coffee in the future. The new variety is characterized by its larger bean size and coffee leaf rust resistance. Our field trials have demonstrated that, using similar inputs, the yields of Star 4 are substantially higher than the two most used Brazilian local varieties, which reduces its carbon footprint,” says Jeroen Dijkman, Head of Nestlé’s Institute of Agricultural Sciences.
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