WCR Founder Timothy Schilling dedicates 2019 to increasing supply of quality coffee

World Coffee Research (WCR) is dedicated to increasing the supply of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the farmers who produce it. Here are three initiatives we’re focused on in 2019: •  Through our Global Coffee Monitoring Program, WCR will work with over 35 coffee industry partners, the United States Department of Agriculture, and producing country coffee institutions to put into place 249 On Farm Technology Trials in 20 countries in 2019. These trials are providing the industry with unprecedented ‘big data’ designed to increase farmer profitability and to navigate climate change and future challenges our industry encounters. •  WCR will continue collaborating with Promecafe, the network of Latin American coffee-producing countries, to create a new generation of F1 hybrids that are extremely high in quality, high in yield, and more tolerant of disease. In 2019, we will test the sensory quality of the F1s, as well as assess their agronomic performance and rust resistance at three different altitudes. •  We are working with the coffee industry on efforts to increase Robusta’s quality and drought tolerance while maintaining high productivity. We are placing significant effort on this new program in 2019, and greatly appreciate the support from and collaboration with The J.M. Smucker Company, Nestle, Lavazza, and Mercon Coffee Group. Timothy Schilling is the founder of World Coffee Research. His contribution features in the January 2019 edition of Global Coffee Report magazine in response to the Top Industry Leader Predictions feature. To see the latest edition, click here.