Membership

From when we started Driftaway, we have been looking for more ways to contribute to better the lives of coffee growers. We realized that the biggest challenge for farmers was unpredictability. Things like climate change, weather patterns, and coffee plant diseases. And that's where the critical work of World Coffee Research fits perfectly—by helping farmers live more sustainable lives by growing better coffee.

—Suyog Mody, CEO, Driftaway Coffee

Coffee farming is at risk from multiple directions. WCR brings together the global coffee industry to utilize science-based solutions to help ensure the long-term and diverse supply of coffee that is critical to the future of the industry.

—Mark Howell, Director of Green Coffee & Tea, Community Coffee

Some problems are so big that they can nearly extinguish hope. Supporting WCR's work, even in a small way, helps us remain hopeful and feel connected to a larger mission.

—David Yake, Director of Sustainability, Tony's Coffee

WCR is science to save coffee.  It’s that simple, that vital.  No single country, no single company can do this; that is why our basis is collaborative, our successes open source.  The beneficiary, by charter, is the coffee farmer, who contends with commerce and nature, to our good fortune.

—Doug Welsh, Vice President of Coffee, JDE Peet's

Lavazza and WCR share the same concerns about origin diversity in the face of the climate crisis, and we believe that the acceleration of innovations in coffee agriculture is possible. [WCR's] objectives truly resonate with companies like ours, not just from an economic sustainability point of view, but also as a supply chain risk management strategy.

—Mario Cerutti, Chief Institutional Relations & Sustainability Officer, Lavazza Group

If we want to secure a long-term supply of good quality coffee at reasonable prices and quantities, we need the support of science to help us develop the varieties of the future. We are super convinced that engaging together with other companies in World Coffee Research is the right thing to do.

—Pablo von Waldenfels, Director of Corporate Responsibility, Tchibo Coffee

We are long-time supporters of WCR because this battle for sustainability must be a pre-competitive one. We need to share resources, efforts, and knowledge collectively to make the overall coffee industry more sustainable and continue to compete for the taste of our coffee rather for than the title of 'most sustainable.'

—Andrea Illy, Chairman, illycaffè

WCR ensures the future of coffee by bringing the industry together to address critical long-term global coffee supply risks. We need new varieties of coffee to support smallholder coffee farmers, preserve our origin diversity, and ensure consumers can enjoy the spectrum of tastes the expect from their favorite brands.

—Jim Trout, Vice President, Research & Development, The J.M. Smucker Co.

Allegro is proud to support WCR and their important work in selecting the best-performing coffee varieties that meet the criteria needed for farmers, buyers, and our ever-changing environment.

—Kelly Amoroso, Senior Coffee & Tea Buyer, Allegro Coffee

We believe in supporting the future of specialty coffee for generations to come through science and data-driven research...there’s a huge potential to directly support producers—that’s why we’re excited to be even more involved now than ever before.

—Andrew Miller, Cafe Imports

Along with WCR, we aim to invest in the future of coffee to help provide sustainability for the whole coffee industry from the producer to the consumer.

—Chris Miller, Director of Coffee, La Colombe

Through WCR, we join a larger coffee community to support science for a sustainable coffee supply, and more importantly, support all the humans that depend on that supply chain from beginning to end.

—Skip Fay, Chief Coffee Officer, Dunn Brothers Coffee