Shaping the future of quality: member cuppers taste new WCR arabica varieties
A first-of-its-kind cupping to deliver the coffee our industry needs
From April 14–17, the World Coffee Research (WCR) team welcomed 18 cuppers from 15 member companies around the world to El Salvador to participate in the first-ever industry cupping evaluation of coffees harvested through the Innovea Global Coffee Breeding Network's arabica program.
WCR is advancing elite coffee varieties for trial and release through this program in the coming years, and this event marked a significant progress milestone for the organization and sector at large as we anticipate the release of varieties that will change the landscape of coffee as we know it. The future is arriving.
Together with the support of 200+ companies in 30 countries, WCR has built what our $200B industry has never had before: a shared breeding system delivering the coffee varieties that will mitigate climate and supply risks while enhancing the livelihoods of farmers. This effort is transforming coffee production worldwide and driving innovation at a scale previously unimaginable.
The photos featured in this essay tell the powerful story of global, pre-competitive collaboration in defining the coffee of tomorrow. The cuppers who participated in this event brought a combined 215 years of experience to ensure that the coffee our industry needs will be excellent in the field, but also in the cup, and meet the diverse array of quality needs of companies operating across different market segments.
“The experience was deeply meaningful because it allowed me to connect with coffee professionals from around the world, and, most importantly, to cup coffees that have never been evaluated before. Being present at that stage of innovation felt like a rare privilege and honor—to witness and contribute, in a small way, to coffee history,” said Aukse McCoy, Coffee Development Manager at Finlays.
A full circle moment. From L to R: WCR scientists Dr. Tania Humphrey, Senior Director of Innovation, Dr. Verônica Belchior, Research Scientist in Coffee Quality Evaluation, Dr. Santos Barrera, Sr. Research Scientist in Plant Breeding and Genomics, and Laurie Serianni, Coffee Product Development Sr. Scientist at Keurig Dr Pepper, discuss the organization's quality journey. Serianni has been a part of nearly every quality evaluation initiative conducted by WCR since its founding in 2012.
Preparing the samples. Matthew Saurage Jr., Manager of Research and Development at Community Coffee, pours water over coarsely ground coffee to prepare the samples for cupping.
An intensive process. Pictured is one cupper "breaking the crust" to integrate the top layer of grounds and natural oils into the body of the cup. This is just one step in standard procedure behind quality evaluation, which was repeated for the tasting of nearly 200 samples over the course of 2 days, building a strong foundation of data for WCR to utilize.
A part of something bigger. Cuppers who participated in this event came together to define quality specifications for new, high-performing, climate-resilient varieties. Like our collaborators who operate the Innovea network across arabica and robusta in 11 countries worldwide, these cuppers are creating the future of coffee—together.
Jay Pathiranage, Green Coffee Quality Manager at Tim Hortons, takes in the aroma of a sample cup (foreground), while Ingo Lantz, Director of Research & Development, Quality & Technology at Tchibo, records data using WCR's cupping form (background), which is adapted from the Specialty Coffee Association's Coffee Value Assessment (CVA).
Where it all began. WCR Senior Advisor, Communications Hanna Neuschwander guides the cuppers through an on-site visit to the organization's research farm. This visit brought the science of breeding to life, showcasing the very trees from which the samples cupped were harvested.
Cultivating innovation. A plant shows new growth under the afternoon light at WCR's research farm. WCR's breeding program targets three high-priority traits: yield, disease resistance, and cup quality. Through this cupping, WCR captured rigorous sensory evaluation data about the cup quality of early-stage breeding material. This data will be combined with other performance data (e.g., yield) to identify the champions that will define the next era of coffee.
A data-driven approach. WCR's Dr. Santos Barrera conducts a demonstration on the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sampling process applied to genotype plants in the breeding program. This genetic data allows for early screening at the seedling stage of a plant's life cycle, and is part of the powerful data behind the climate-resilient plants being developed by WCR.
Witnessing coffee history. Aukse McCoy, Coffee Development Manager at Finlays, replicates the SNP genotyping process using a tree on the WCR research farm, observing first-hand the meticulous work underpinning this ambitious breeding initiative.
Celebrating our moment. The cuppers and WCR team join in a celebration of this historic event, the cupping of these samples, and what it represents for the future of coffee. WCR and the industry are closer than ever to ensuring a sustainable supply of coffee for generations to come.
The engine behind WCR’s breeding program is its data-driven, global testing approach. WCR looks forward to hosting similar cupping events over the coming years to continue to expand its robust database being applied to achieve continuous improvement of new varieties.
“Using global performance data and layering on genetic markers, cup quality, and other forms of analysis in this way will ultimately drive WCR’s success in developing the varieties the coffee sector needs,” said Senior Director of Innovation Dr. Tania Humphrey. “With this approach, our breeding program can make more efficient and precise selections to identify the new plants that meet the requirements of farmers in producing countries and the coffee industry whose products depend on them.”
The organization would like to offer its special thanks to the companies that participated in this first cupping, including:
- Allegro Coffee
- Arvid Nordquist
- Community Coffee
- Counter Culture Coffee
- Dunkin'
- Finlays
- JDE Peet's
- Keurig Dr Pepper
- Lavazza
- Sucafina
- Taylors of Harrogate
- Tchibo
- The J.M. Smucker Co.
- Union Hand Roasted Coffee
- Tim Hortons
World Coffee Research would like to offer our sincerest appreciation to member company Community Coffee for generously donating the time of photographers and videographers, Jody Johnston and Todd Kepper, to capture this momentous cupping event. Thank you, Community, for helping us tell the story of our work in such a meaningful way.