With more than 99 per cent of coffee consumed in Australia sourced internationally, a selection of new coffee varieties could significantly change the status quo.
As global coffee demands increase, finding more sustainable and economically viable varietals is essential for Australian growers. It’s also crucial to bolster the country’s production, which currently constitutes less than 0.5 per cent of all coffee consumed here.
Non-profit agricultural organisation World Coffee Research is undertaking an International Multilocation Variety Trial in order to address the world’s thirst for coffee. Thirty-one top-performing coffee varieties from 11 countries have been collected and distributed to 18 coffee-growing countries for long-term evaluation. Broadly, the trial aims to understand how these varietals adapt to different soil and climate conditions, particularly in extreme environments affected by climate change.
In Australia, the trial is led by a team at Southern Cross University in New South Wales in collaboration with the Australian Grown Coffee Association (AGCA) and World Coffee Research, with trial sites in Alstonville, New South Wales, and the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland.
Launched in 2019, the trial aims to identify a viable economic alternative to Australia’s current coffee varietals of choice, the K7 from Kenya which predominates in the subtropics and Catuai which is mainly grown in the tropics. The research is focused on finding coffee varieties with leaf-rust resistance – a devastating fungus that defoliates the tree and severely reduces productivity. Other desirable qualities to grow the industry include productivity, suitability for machine harvesting, climate adaptation and cupping quality. The aim is to reduce reliance on imports and provide Australians with fresh, locally grown coffee.
Some Australian farmers believe this research initiative could elevate the country’s coffee output. The limited supply of Australian-grown beans is compounded by the lack of available suitable farmland, as encroaching urbanisation and lifestyle purchases displace crop cultivation. Additionally, an ageing grower population and new owners not replanting coffee crops have contributed to a decline in the subtropical industry, in particular.
However, there is good news: a resurgence is underway, fuelled by new varietals and growing confidence in the Australian coffee segment. The industry hopes to see Australian-grown coffee consumption increase to 3 to 4 per cent in the next 10 years.
Rebecca Zentveld, President of AGCA, was thrilled when Southern Cross University teamed up with World Coffee Research to trial the 31 coffee varietals in Australia. Given the challenges of climate change, diverse terroir, and shifting weather patterns, she saw it as an opportunity to nurture the dwindling segment of the Australian coffee market.
As a coffee grower of more than 30 years on her family’s farm on the north coast of New South Wales, Rebecca knows her way around a plantation. She recalls the selection of the K7 varietal back in the 1980s, and how her family chose to trial five varietals that were available to evaluate in the subtropics and far-north Queensland.
Led by David Peasley, then program Leader for Tropical Fruit for the NSW Department of Agriculture, this trial ultimately settled on the K7 as the variety best suited to the subtropics. While the K7 is known for its excellent qualities, including leaf-rust resistance and high-quality bean production, it has proven to be too vigorous in the subtropics and requires pruning every three to six years after harvest. As regrowth can take up to 18 months with an additional 11 months for the fruit to develop, this results in no crop for two years.
“It’s between a two-to-three-year crop loss for every major prune we do. So that’s a bit disheartening for growers to find such losses occurring too frequently with the taller varieties,” says Rebecca.
Now, in the search for Australia’s next coffee varietal, David – along with retired grower and Association Member Jos Webber – is spearheading efforts to identify the next generation of coffee plants.
As the trial moves into its commercial phases, the semi-dwarf varietals have emerged as a viable choice for Australian growers.
Jos says the team was looking for semi-dwarf varieties that are rust and pest resistant, can be machine harvested easily, and are shorter than the K7.
“The K7 grew too vigorously. The mechanical harvester can only cope with trees less than four metres high. Once the trees get beyond four metres, they require pruning which is why we lose production. We’re hoping these semi-dwarf varieties won’t require the same amount of pruning,” he says.
David adds: “We don’t want to compromise cupping quality or production, nor resistance to disease and pests. All these factors are key components in developing any new variety.”
Over the past two years, Rebecca, David, and Jos have closely monitored the varietals and selected three semi-dwarf contenders for commercial trials – Marsellesa from Nicaragua, and IPR107 and Paraiso from Brazil – which they believe are best suited to mechanical harvesting under Australian conditions.
“We collected a small amount of seed a year ago and made some available to the industry. David and I each planted 1000 seeds of two of the varieties and these are now ready to be planted out in the field,” says Jos. “We’ve also just harvested quite a bit more seed, which will be available to growers very soon.”
In November 2024, about 20,000 seeds of the three varieties were distributed to growers who are interested in evaluating them on their properties under different environmental and growing conditions in the tropics, subtropics, and Western Australia. Rebecca is among the growers preparing to plant their first lot of the three chosen varietals.
“We wanted to show new landowners that arranging the varietals in long rows, with proper spacing, will make the mechanical harvesting process more efficient and worthwhile,” says Rebecca.
The plants from seeds distributed in November will be planted in the ground in 2025. Therefore, the first commercial harvest is expected in 2028-29.
“This next step will form part of each grower’s commercial operation. They’ll expand with the variety they see fit for their area and must ensure they get enough volume on those trees to make it commercially viable,” says David.
In three to four years, when it’s time to harvest, Rebecca says she’ll be waiting to see how well they produce, how harvestable they are, and how the trees cope in real farm conditions.
“We really need to get these new varietals onto farms. It requires bravery from both new and existing growers to prepare their land and experiment with these varietals. After 35 years, it’s exciting to have access to new options that we believe will thrive over the next 10 to 15 years. So, let’s give them a proper chance.”
According to Jos, these three varieties have the desirable characteristics of growth, branch spacing, fruit retention, productivity, and taste. The next step is to determine how they grow in different environments across Australia including North Queensland, Western Australia, and the subtropics. Therefore, there’s real enthusiasm for growing coffee, especially as climate change opens up new potential areas,” says Jos.
Climate change is also providing a potential silver lining for the industry as regions previously considered unsuitable, because they were too cold, may become suitable for growing coffee.
“With the macadamia and avocado industries oversupplying the market, many growers may be interested in diversifying into coffee,” says Jos.
Rebecca adds that there is plenty of room for growth in the Australian coffee market. While demand is high, many roasters face supply shortages, especially from cooler subtropical regions.
“As we improve production, more Australian coffee will become available, which is great for both consumption and roasters,” she says.
In March 2023, coffee researchers from Southern Cross University conducted cupping panels in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane to evaluate 16 of the 31 varietals under consideration. The three chosen varieties to be distributed to Australian growers all scored high marks as specialty grade.
Rebecca says that these Q cupping tests and the terroir where local coffee is grown show the country has excellent conditions for producing high-quality coffee.
“With the right varietals, our rich soil, cooler climate, and extended 11-month ripening period we have proven we can enhance the sweetness and quality of our coffee,” she says.
In five years, a significant increase in available Australian coffee is anticipated, and Rebecca says she looks forward to sharing those results in 2029.
“It promises to be a great year for Australian roasters and coffee lovers,” she says.
To further support Australian growers, Jos and David recently co-wrote an updated coffee growing manual as part of an initiative by AGCA, jointly funded with AgriFutures Australia.
Published in August 2024, the manual offers practical guidance on establishing and managing coffee plantations. It includes essential information on climate conditions, site suitability, and best practices for irrigation, pest control, and harvesting.
“Jos and I successfully tendered to do the work and the manual was launched in far-north Queensland in August. It provides a detailed description of coffee growing, covering everything from land selection to harvesting. It’s a significant resource for the industry and, with the new varieties available, there is renewed interest in growing coffee,” says David.
“We interviewed growers to gather input about each stage of production, which was critical for the manual’s success. It was very much grower focused.”
Rebecca adds that the Australian industry is on the edge of a resurgence of the coffee growing community by having access to the new varietals, especially combined with Jos and David’s efforts to produce an updated Australian Coffee Growers’ Manual.
“The manual is not only a useful tool for existing growers, but for newer growers too. It has a good use of visuals and it will help us capture what we need to do for the planting and the setups, as well as identifying any issues through the trees’ lifecycle,” she says.
David agrees, likening the document to a car manual. It outlines common issues and how to manage them and is considered a very user-friendly resource for growers.
“It’s a useful manual for researchers and new growers, as well as quite experienced growers, and we hope will prove to be a useful document for the next 10 years.”
David adds: “In the past 12 months, we’ve developed a comprehensive grower manual which, together with the availability of the new dwarf varieties, we hope will spur an era of expansion in Australian grown coffee. Everything is set for an excited Australian coffee consumer population.”
This article appears in the December/January 2025 edition of BeanScene. Subscribe HERE.