{"id":61761,"date":"2026-05-07T16:34:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/61761\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T16:34:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T16:34:13","slug":"nestle-says-robusta-trial-shows-increased-yields-and-quality-in-cote-divoire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/61761\/","title":{"rendered":"Nestl\u00e9 Says Robusta Trial Shows Increased Yields and Quality in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Nestle<\/a><\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9 news release photo.<\/p>\n

Multi-year field research by Nestl\u00e9 and C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s national agricultural research center found that planting a mix of six robusta coffee varieties can raise yields by up to 86% compared with a commonly used local variety, while also improving cup quality, according to Nestl\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The results add to a slow-moving wave of coffee breeding efforts as climate change alters growing conditions<\/a> for both arabica and robusta across the coffee belt<\/a>.<\/p>\n

C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire Varieties<\/p>\n

In a May 7 announcement<\/a>, Nestl\u00e9 said the work was carried out with C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire\u2019s Centre National de Recherche Agronomique, or CNRA<\/a>, beginning in 2018 across four coffee-growing regions, where researchers evaluated 18 robusta varieties for yield, flavor, green coffee quality, drought tolerance and performance under climate stress.<\/p>\n

Two of the six top-performing varieties were developed by the company and four by CNRA. The company said additional trials showed the best results came not from a single standout variety, but from planting the six together. Nestl\u00e9 also said sensory testing found less bitterness and fewer woody notes than found in other robustas.<\/p>\n

The six varieties have now been officially registered in C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, and Nestl\u00e9 said the mix of varieties will be distributed to cooperatives under its in-house sustainability initiative called the Nescaf\u00e9 Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9 has longstanding involvement in the C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire coffee and cocoa sectors, including a 30-hectare experimental farm and training center that opened in 2013<\/a>. In August 2024, CNRA said the two organizations had joined forces to develop a new robusta variety, with plans to distribute 4.2 million coffee plants to producers.<\/p>\n

Increased Robusta Breeding<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, there is a broader industry push to improve robusta genetics against the backdrop of climate change, disease pressure and persistent farmer profitability challenges.<\/p>\n

A recent review in Frontiers in Plant Science<\/a> underscored the urgency of robusta breeding, noting that the species accounts for roughly 70 million to 76 million 60-kilogram bags annually, while current variety-development cycles can take more than 20 years.<\/p>\n

The paper, led by World Coffee Research<\/a>\u2019s Robert Kawuki, said robusta breeding programs in countries including C\u00f4te d\u2019Ivoire, Uganda, Ghana, Vietnam, India and Brazil will need faster tools and stronger collaboration to keep pace with climate change.<\/p>\n

Nestl\u00e9 has been privately engaged in numerous breeding efforts, including backing the development of a higher-yielding arabica variety called Star 4<\/a> and two robusta varieties, Roubi 1 and Roubi 2<\/a>, with potential yields up to 50% above standard varieties, according to the company.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN\u2019s editors here<\/a>. For all the latest coffee industry news, subscribe to the DCN newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Daily Coffee News Staff<\/a> <\/p>\n

Tags: breeding<\/a>, Centre National de Recherche Agronomique<\/a>, climate<\/a>, CNRA<\/a>, Cote d\u2019Ivoire<\/a>, green coffee<\/a>, Nescaf\u00e9 Plan<\/a>, Nestle<\/a>, Nestl\u00e9 Institute of Agricultural Sciences<\/a>, research<\/a>, Robert Kawuki<\/a>, Robusta<\/a>, Roubi 1<\/a>, Roubi 2<\/a>, science<\/a>, Star 4<\/a>, World Coffee Research<\/a><\/p>\n


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