Brazilian robusta farmers invest in quality amid climate threats

Amid the din of a chic coffee shop on Sao Paulo’s posh Oscar Freire Avenue, a barista pulls an atypical espresso.

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Extra creamy, with an aroma of cocoa nibs, the shot lacks the hallmark acidity prized in coffee made from the finest arabica beans.That is because this premium espresso is made of 100% robusta beans, long derided in the coffee world as cheap filler better suited for instant coffee.

“It’s a coffee that makes a wonderful crema... and has much more chocolatey notes,” said Marco Kerkmeester, co-founder of the Santo Grao coffee chain, noting the appeal of a variety cheekily labeled “0% Arabica.”

As climate change threatens the arabica beans traditionally used in high-end brews, Brazilian robusta farmers are investing in harvesting and drying techniques to produce topnotch robusta that appeals to the most demanding consumers.

Brazil is the world’s second-largest robusta producer after Vietnam and top arabica grower. However, a 2022 study found that more than three quarters of Brazil’s best land for growing arabica coffee could become unsuitable by 2050 due to higher temperatures and drought.

With global coffee prices and consumption hitting record highs this year amid trade tensions and extreme weather, premium robusta beans also offer a way for roasters to lower the cost of espresso blends with more expensive arabica.

“My dad is from a mountainous region where they produce high-quality arabica coffee,” said Lucas Venturim, a coffee farmer some 500 miles away in Espirito Santo state, whose beans went into that espresso served on a corner of Oscar

Freire. “He never accepted that robusta coffee is bad just because it’s robusta.”