Illy: climate crisis could increase Brazil’s coffee dominance – 01/30/2024 – Café na Prensa

Brazil is the country most prepared to face climate change and can further increase its dominance in global coffee production, he says in an exclusive interview with Coffee in the Press Andrea Illy, global president of the Italian Illycaffè, one of the most traditional coffee companies in the world.

The climate crisis will strongly affect coffee cultivation, as the plant depends on very specific conditions, such as mild temperatures without major fluctuations. Extreme events, such as frosts, droughts or excessive rainfall – which are expected to intensify as a result of the increase in the planet’s temperature – are also dangerous threats to coffee farming.

As a result, it is estimated that up to 50% of currently cultivable areas – not actually cultivated, but which have a climate suitable for growing coffee – will be lost due to climate change.

Brazil, however, is the country with the greatest capacity to face these changes, according to Illy. From his office at the company’s headquarters in Trieste, in the northeast of Italy, 150 km from Venice, the grandson of Francesco Illy, one of the pioneers of espresso, explains why he believes that Brazil will further concentrate world production of coffee as a result of global warming.

“Brazil has many advantages in relation to other countries. It has greater climate stability. It has several production areas to which it can migrate, if an area becomes hotter or drier. It has high productivity. And it has plenty of financial resources to invest in climate adaptation”, says Illy in fluent Portuguese and an Italian accent.

“It could be a temporary problem for the entire coffee industry, it could be a permanent problem for some producer specifically, but, in general, Brazil is the most advantaged country and will concentrate more and more of world production. Now Brazil counts , I think, with more or less 40% of world coffee production. In the future, it could grow above 50%, because other countries are more impacted by climate change and less capable of adapting”, he explains.

One of coffee farming’s biggest bets to deal with climate change is regenerative agriculture. For producers, it is advantageous because it makes the plantation better able to face extreme weather events. And, for the multinationals that buy these grains, it is one of the greatest allies in achieving their goals of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

The term regenerative agriculture has been around for a few decades, but only a few years ago it started to appear more frequently. It has become a kind of mantra for large companies trying to vocalize a sustainable discourse. The expression has become ubiquitous in ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance) reports, labels and executive speeches.

In general, regenerative agriculture is based on practices of conservation and regeneration of soil, water and biodiversity, in order to emit less carbon dioxide than techniques considered traditional.

The term, however, still lacks a precise definition, and this abstraction is criticized by some experts. As there is no regulation, they say, it is impossible to monitor whether a given company is actually purchasing coffee from regenerative agriculture.

Like giants like Nestlé, Illy has also been investing in regenerative coffee farming for some years. This culminated in the global launch, at the end of 2023, of Arabica Selection Brasile, made with grains grown through regenerative practices in the Cerrado Mineiro.

According to Andrea, the adoption of regenerative techniques has reduced farmers’ costs without compromising productivity. He says that it is possible to save, for example, on fertilizers, since the compost produced on the farm costs less than chemical fertilizers. Additionally, he says, regenerative plantations use about 30% less water.

He also cites as advantages the ability to adapt to adverse weather conditions and adherence to compliance standards for consumer markets such as the European Union. After making a passionate defense of the technique, he summarizes: “It has so many advantages that this regenerative agriculture seems like a dream.”

Asked about how he sees global coffee production in ten years, he is optimistic. He claims to believe in increasing quality and improving socio-environmental standards, including greater financial contributions from rich consumer countries to producing nations, which are generally poorer.

“If these investments increase, coffee farming will also become more positive from the point of view of social sustainability. With more resources, better living conditions for producers and greater education”, he says.

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Andrea Illy, 59

Andrea Illy was born on September 2, 1964 in Trieste, son of Ernesto and grandson of Francesco, founder of Illy. He graduated in chemistry from the University of Trieste. In 1990, he joined illycaffè as supervisor of the quality control department. In 1994 he was appointed CEO of illycaffè SpA and held that position until 2016. He has been president of the company since 2005.

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