World Coffee Research’s Innovea Global Coffee Breeding Network has been named on the TIME Best Inventions of 2025 list, highlighting its potential to reshape the future of coffee.
Innovea, which was launched in 2022, unites governments across Latin America, Africa, and Asia to collaborate on and accelerate enhancing the genetics of Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora (Robusta).
The 11 partners in the program produce more than 40 per cent of the world’s coffee, with the goal of producing more climate-resilient, disease-resilient, higher-yielding, and better-tasting coffee varieties in the face of soaring global demand for coffee products.
World Coffee Research CEO Dr. Jennifer “Vern” Long says recognition of the program’s success must extend far beyond just one organisation.
“Innovea embodies the power of global scientific collaboration,” says Dr. Vern. “We are honoured that TIME has recognised Innovea as a transformative force for the global coffee sector.
“We share this award with the 11 partners around the world who make up this unprecedented collaboration network.
The national partners in the Innovea Network are Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (Costa Rica), Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (Ghana), Central Coffee Research Institute (India), Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (Indonesia), Keyna Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (Kenya), Universidad Autónoma Chapingo (Mexico), Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria (Peru), Rwanda Agriculture and Animal resources Development Board (Rwanda), National Coffee Research Institute (Uganda), United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service (US), Western Highlands Agroforestry Scientific and Technical Institute (Vietnam).
TIME’s annual list highlights 300 inventions that are changing the way we live, work, and thrive. To construct the list, editors and correspondents worldwide submitted nominations which were then individually evaluated.
Other agricultural inventions to be recognised on the TIME Best Inventions of 2025 include a seaweed-based feed supplement developed by Australia’s CSIRO to reduce methane emissions in livestock burps and manure, and the creation of indoor, climate-controlled facilities to grow natural vanilla by Israel-based Vanilla Vida.
TIME started publishing its Best Inventions list in 2000.
