A pilot program backed by trader Sucafina SA has successfully grown a heat-tolerant coffee strain that was lost to commercial production for over half a century. The Coffea Stenophylla variety yields a bean with a taste similar to the high-quality Arabica variety, but can thrive at temperatures 7°C warmer. This characteristic has placed the strain at the forefront in protecting the global coffee industry from the effects of global warming, according to the Sierra Leone government.
The Coffea Stenophylla strain was discovered growing wild in 2018 after suffering decades of neglect and civil war. Its beans were once sold commercially under the brand Sierra Leone Highland Coffee before World War I. With these positive findings, the development expert running the pilot, Daniel Sarmu, believes the results show potential for reviving a coffee variety that was once popular in Paris and London but has not been commercially available for years.
The possibility of Coffea Stenophylla returning to the market presents a significant opportunity for the coffee industry to adopt new strains that better handle changing weather patterns. When combined with coffee genetics studies, reintroducing lost varieties could promote bio-diversity, protect the global coffee industry from future climate shocks, and lessen dependence on just a few commercially viable varieties like Arabica and Beans.
According to the United Nations (UN), nearly 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed globally every day. This rise in demand, alongside the adverse impact of climate change on agricultural output, breed concern. Losing historically lost coffee varieties like Coffea Stenophylla may have serious negative effects on the world's coffee industry. The success of the Sierra Leone pilot program and the possibility of commercial availability of Coffea Stenophylla is exciting news for coffee growers and coffee lovers worldwide.