Welcome to Recap, a brief overview of recent coffee developments every two weeks from the Specialty Coffee Association. 

The Alliance for Coffee Excellence, or ACE, recently announced a partnership with scientific-traceability company Oritain.  ACE’s Cup of Excellence competition will provide samples to Oritain, who will then use them to build a database of coffee from all over the world that can be used to prove a coffee’s origin. Oritain uses forensic science to analyse the unique ratio of elements and nutrients coffee absorbs from its environment, allowing the company to create a so-called “fingerprint.” The partnership hopes to provide greater supply chain verification and provide additional commercial opportunities for coffee farmers and traders. While it remains to be seen whether this tool will benefit farmers to the same degree it stands to benefit buyers, value chain research suggests that geographical identities can help producers retain value where they have ownership or control over how the denomination is defined and applied. 

A new study suggests that another fungus may have the capacity to suppress coffee leaf rust, offering a natural solution to pesticide treatments. Coffee leaf rust is caused by a parasitic fungus that attacks the leaves of coffee trees. While scientists were aware of a “hyperparasite” fungus that grows on top of the coffee leaf rust, very little is known about its biology. The study is the first to explore the interaction between coffee leaf rust and its hyperparasite in Ethiopia. Results suggest the hyperparasite co-evolved with coffee leaf rust and has the potential to thrive in more humid conditions, like those created by shade trees. More detailed experimental studies are needed to explore the relationship between leaf rust and its hyperparasite: the authors of the study did not investigate whether or not the presence of the hyperparasite could lead to better coffee yields. It’s also important to note that the effect of both could change as the global climate shifts. But there is hope that the hyperparasite might reduce leaf drop associated with severe rust infections, enabling coffee growers to use it as a biological control.

Following its exit from the European Union, the United Kingdom completed the process of joining the International Coffee Organization, or ICO, as an individual importing member. The tenth largest importer of coffee by volume, the UK has been the home of the ICO since its establishment in 1963. At a virtual ceremony celebrating the UK government’s swift confirmation of its membership, the ICO also presented the findings of its most recent flagship report, the Coffee Development Report 2020. Titled “The Value of Coffee,” the report analyses coffee’s global value chain through the lens of other global value chains. Finding that the value of annual coffee exports has more than quadrupled from 1991 to 2018, the report recommends a mix of initiatives, regulatory options, public-private collaborations, and information sharing to maximize the economic benefits of coffee farmers while ensuring social and environmental sustainability.

If you want to dive deeper into anything you heard today, check out the links in the description of this episode. Recap will be back in two weeks’ time. Thanks for listening.