Why Do Some Coffee Producing Regions Specialize in Specific Coffee Varieties?

Currently, some coffee-producing countries primarily cultivate specific coffee varieties. For example, Brazil mainly produces Bourbon, while Jamaica Blue Mountain primarily produces Typica.

In many cases, this is due to the spread of coffee varieties—when certain varieties are introduced to local environments and demonstrate excellent adaptability, they become one of the main varieties cultivated in those regions. Additionally, some varieties are new breeds developed by national coffee research institutes and are heavily promoted for cultivation within those countries.

Some countries conduct coffee variety research because major leaf rust disasters occurred in the 19th century, necessitating the development of more disease-resistant coffee varieties. Additionally, there's hope to develop new-generation coffee varieties that offer high yield, disease resistance, and excellent flavor.

According to historical records, at the end of the 19th century, the largest-scale leaf rust disaster in history destroyed almost all coffee trees in the Eastern Hemisphere (most parts of Asia and Africa). Following this catastrophe, Arabica coffee varieties began to be transferred to the Western Hemisphere (the Americas) for cultivation.

This leaf rust disaster caused some coffee-producing countries to shift to cultivating the more robust Robusta variety, while other countries established national coffee research institutes to develop disease-resistant coffee varieties. However, varieties developed through investment and research, due to their distinctive characteristics, were inevitably promoted for nationwide cultivation by governments. Consequently, these countries primarily produce the new varieties developed within their own borders.

Currently, common laboratory-developed varieties include SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11 from Kenya, as well as the H1 F1 hybrid variety commonly found in Latin America, and the globally popular Catuai variety.

Catuai

Catuai is a hybrid between the highly productive Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties. It was developed by the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC) in São Paulo, Brazil. Catuai is characterized by high productivity and compact size, allowing for dense planting. Due to these characteristics, it is currently cultivated in many American countries.

SL28, SL34, and Ruiru 11

These two varieties were commissioned by the Kenyan government in the late 1930s. The government entrusted the former Scott Agricultural Laboratories (now the National Agricultural Laboratory) to select 42 varieties for research on their yield, quality, and drought and disease resistance. These 42 varieties were named using the abbreviation "SL" (for Scott Laboratories) followed by numbers. Ultimately, it was discovered that SL28 and SL34 varieties offered good quality and flavor with high yields, though they were susceptible to coffee diseases.

Ruiru 11 was developed using Catimor as the female parent and a complex hybrid as the male parent. In 1968, when Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) broke out in Kenya, causing approximately 50% reduction in coffee bean production, the Coffee Research Station located in Ruiru initiated a breeding program to develop varieties immune to CBD. Breeding experts spent years developing the male parent of Ruiru 11, which incorporated the advantages of multiple varieties including K7, SL28, N39, and Rume Sudan. In 1985, the locally named Ruiru 11 was introduced. This variety offers high yield, good quality, resistance to Coffee Berry Disease, and some resistance to leaf rust, though it is susceptible to nematode infestations.

Therefore, when purchasing Kenyan coffee beans today, you will often find SL28, SL34, or Ruiru 11 varieties. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Assalia coffee beans are made using SL28 and SL34 varieties.

H1

The H1 variety was selected from the F1 coffee variety breeding program, which aimed to find varieties that could combat increasingly rampant coffee diseases. This new variety development program was jointly launched by the French Agricultural Research Center for Development (CIRAD) and the Central American Coffee Organization (ROMECAFE).

The program was implemented with assistance from the Agricultural Research Institute of the Americas (IIAC) and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica. From hundreds of coffee varieties, CATIE selected Caturra, Catuai, Catimor, Sarchimor (a hybrid of Villa Sarchi and Timor), and an ancient African wild variety Rume Sudan. Using artificial pollination, they extracted pollen from T5296 (a Sarchimor descendant) and applied it to the stigma of Rume Sudan flowers.

After five years of effort, CATIE harvested 100 different new-generation varieties and selected 20 with superior performance for propagation and cultivation. These first-generation F1 varieties not only possess stronger disease resistance and drought tolerance but also offer advantages of higher yield and excellent flavor.

The H1 variety belongs to the first-generation F1 hybrid group and was developed from the hybridization of T-5296 (Sarchimor) and Sudan Rume from the first-generation F1 hybrid series. This coffee variety offers good quality and excellent flavor, with yields 22% higher than other traditional American varieties. It has strong resistance to rust disease but is susceptible to nematode infestations. Currently, H1 variety is commonly found in Costa Rica, and FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Mozart coffee beans are selected from the H1 variety.

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