Origin's Obstacles To Quality
34 January 2010 Â www.specialty-coffee.com BY BEN SAMSON F ive years ago on a trip to India's co ee-producing region, Mark Stell, managing partner of Portland Roasting Company, was astounded to nd growers on 10 large estates had boosted their annual yield more than 100 percent. Co ee plantations 100 to 150 years old that formerly yielded a respectable 400 kilos of co ee per acre now returned more than 1,000 kilos per acre without adding any pesticides, he says. e richly leafed trees were healthier with less disease, berries were lush and, best of all, the resulting co ee was greatly improved even from Arabica trees planted in less desirable areas. THE SECRET? Systematic application of micro-nutrients and careful pruning. By nurturing Arabica trees with a mixture of inexpensive minerals Ranadey Micronutrients in Pune, India demonstrated that if you give it what it needs, not what you think it needs healthy trees will not only produce berries in greater volume, the resulting co ee will be measurably better as well, says Stell. e key take away is that growers must understand how to feed a plant on an annual basis to keep quality consistently high, he says. Retailers and roasters importing green co ee report great upheaval in the market. Co ee growers worldwide are experiencing massive swings in production. Global warming has disrupted traditional growing seasons and wreaked havoc in many co ee-producing regions. Simply put: Hardy Robusta varietals thrive in warmer climates, Arabicas perish. Modern agricultural techniques, when combined with increased demand and higher prices for Arabica beans, have the potential to spread prosperity as third-world growers improve both quality and yield. e obstacles growers face, however, are many and complex. THE RIGHT DIET Improper feeding is common, says Stell, who is closely monitoring a large plantation in Guatemala where trees and soil samples are subject to multiple tests across the entire spectrum of a plant's needs. e experiment is modeled on techniques perfected in India. It's a new concept for this generation of farmers to consider Origin's Obstacles to Why great coffee remains in short supply despite advanced agricultural techniques N (nitrogen) P (phosphorus) K (potassium) B ( boron ) Fe ( iron ) Cu (copper) Mn (manganese) C (chlorine) Mo (molybdenum) Zn (zinc) Table of Essential Nutrients for Healthy Coffee Plants Primary macro-nutrients Secondary macro-nutrients Micro-nutrients Ca (nitrogen) S (sulfur) Mg (magnesium) QUALITY COFFEE