World Coffee Research Receives Five-Year $2.5 Million Grant From Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc.
World Coffee Research (WCR) announces that they are the recipient of a five-year, $2.5 million grant from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (GMCR), a leader in specialty coffee and coffee makers. WCR is the non-profit, collaborative research and development program of the global coffee industry and is managed by the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture of the Texas A&M University System.

The grant will help support WCR’s mission to sustainably grow the Arabica coffee supply chain and improve coffee farmer livelihoods through collaborative agricultural research and development. World Coffee Research will conduct research projects with partners around the world to protect and improve coffee productivity against the effects of climate change and other threats.

Lindsey Bolger, Senior Director of Coffee for GMCR’s Specialty Coffee business unit, said, “GMCR wants to play an active role in helping to shape the future of the specialty coffee industry— particularly in helping to sustain the supply chain and being ahead of the challenges that loom in the horizon, including climate change.”

“Clearly, we have a keen interest in ensuring a continued supply of high quality coffee,” added Bolger. “We would invite any coffee company to join us in support of the World Coffee Research program, especially companies that are concerned with sustaining a supply of high quality coffee.”

Bolger said that in addition to sustaining supplies of coffee, companies should support WCR “to ensure that coffee growing communities have viable options to combat the effects of climate change and other environmental threats to their production and livelihoods.”

Tim Schilling, executive director of WCR, said, “GMCR is the fastest-growing specialty coffee company in the U.S., a forward-thinking company and a leader in the industry.  The company has been supportive of WCR since its inception.”

“When we started the research initiative, we needed progressive companies to anchor the program at significant levels of funding. GMCR believed in our team and our research plan, and they took a leadership role in funding this initiative,” added Schilling.

Patrick Criteser, board chairman of WCR and CEO of Coffee Bean International, said that GMCR’s support of WCR is important because of the company’s record in sustainability across the coffee supply chain.

“GMCR is a leader in sustainability— including social, environmental, and economic responsibility— and wants to highlight the importance of a program like WCR that aims to increase the supply and quality of Arabica coffees,” said Criteser.

GMCR is WCR’s largest financial donor and its support extends to active engagement in origin countries. In April 2012, Lindsey Bolger was part of a WCR team of coffee experts during an expedition through the Boma Forest in South Sudan. The purpose of the expedition was to confirm the existence of Arabica coffee and collect data. Learn more about this expedition at WorldCoffeeResearch.org.

Tim Schilling said, “Lindsey Bolger from GMCR participated in the WCR coffee germplasm exploration in South Sudan as an industry representative. Her presence is important because she was able to contribute the perspective of coffee roasters to our data collection and research.”

World Coffee Research and the Borlaug Institute thank Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. for its generous support and invite individuals and companies, small and large, to join us in sustaining the supplies of quality coffee. Visit WorldCoffeeResearch.org/GetInvolved to become a member and help shape the future of the specialty coffee industry.

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World Coffee Research: the 501 (c)(5) non-profit, collaborative research and development program of the global coffee industry to grow, protect, and enhance supplies of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the families who produce it. The program is funded and driven by the global coffee industry, guided by producers, executed by coffee scientists around the world, and managed by the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture of the Texas A&M University System. Visit WorldCoffeeResearch.org for more information.

Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture: the global outreach unit of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University, Texas AgriLife Research, and the Texas AgriLife Extension Service. The mission of the Borlaug Institute is to prepare and support faculty members, firms, communities, and students in Texas and abroad for engagement and leadership in international agriculture in ways that promote service, entrepreneurship, environmental stewardship, and mutual respect among peoples in an increasingly interdependent world. Visit borlaug.tamu.edu for more information.