Starbucks is expanding its global coffee innovation network to support farmers and address the challenges of climate change.

Building on its agronomy work at Hacienda Alsacia, which is Starbucks' 240-hectare coffee farm in Costa Rica, the company has added new farms in Guatemala and Costa Rica, with plans for further investments in Africa and Asia. These farms aim to boost productivity, increase farmer profitability and build climate resilience.

According to the company, Starbucks purchases 3% of the world’s coffee, sourcing only Arabica beans. Climate change is impacting the availability of high-quality coffee and affecting farming communities' productivity, crop quality and livelihoods. Rising temperatures, drought and coffee leaf rust are threatening coffee supply, quality and flavour.

At Hacienda Alsacia, Starbucks is addressing climate change by developing profitable farming practices and disease-resistant coffee varieties, which it shares with farmers globally. So far, the company has distributed about 90 million climate-resistant coffee trees and over 53 million seedlings. The new coffee innovation farms will expand research to combat climate challenges in more regions.

The new farms in Costa Rica and Guatemala will study hybrid coffee varieties under varying elevations and soil conditions to advance research on new genetic material. The Costa Rica farm, located next to Hacienda Alsacia, will also test mechanisation, drones and other technologies to address labour challenges in Latin America. In Guatemala’s Antigua Valley, the farm will replicate smallholder farming conditions to reflect the challenges many farmers face.

Starbucks plans future farm investments in Africa and Asia, creating a coffee innovation network across the three main regions of the "Coffee Belt" – Latin America, Africa and Asia Pacific. This network will study diverse cultures, landscapes and growing methods that shape coffee flavor.

In addition, research from Starbucks innovation farms will be expanded through its coffee innovation network, which includes ten Farmer Support Centers in coffee growing regions worldwide and 70 "model farms" in its supply chain. Agronomists work directly with farmers on research and best practices. The sustainability learning and innovation lab at Hacienda Alsacia will also open in December to continue this work.

Michelle Burns, Starbucks' EVP of global coffee and sustainability, said: “Starbucks works with more than 450,000 farms that grow the highest quality Arabica coffee in the world. Our promise to those farmers and their communities is that we will always work to ensure a sustainable future of coffee for all. Our solution is to develop on-farm interventions, share seeds, research and practices across the industry to help farmers mitigate the impacts of climate change.”

Roberto Vega, Starbucks' VP of global coffee agronomy, R&D and sustainability, added: “Through these innovation farms, we will develop solutions that will not only improve coffee productivity and quality but also empower farmers with the tools and knowledge needed to thrive in a changing world and challenging climate. This work is done on behalf of coffee farmers everywhere with findings that can be applied across other industries and crops that are also impacted by climate change.” 

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