International Coffee Day: Rediscovering Coffee Diversity with CATIE’s William Solano

We spoke with William Solano, Researcher in Genetic Resources and Biotechnology at CATIE, about what this means for conservation, farmers and the future of our morning cup.

Crop Trust: CATIE has conserved Coffea dewevrei and C. Klainei since the 1950s. How does it feel to see it officially recognized as a distinct species after all these years?

William Solano: For me as curator of CATIE’s coffee collection, this reclassification is a source of great satisfaction. The fact that a material we have carefully conserved for more than six decades is now recognized as a new species means that our conservation work has allowed the scientific community to discover and better appreciate its diversity. CATIE’s collections have served as key raw material for many coffee research studies. Moreover, this change adds two new species to the genetic resources in our collection, strengthening its relevance as a strategic resource for research, conservation and coffee breeding. It is a powerful reminder that every plant we conserve may hold secrets yet to be discovered.

Crop Trust: Now that C. dewevrei is recognized as a distinct species, what new opportunities does that open for coffee breeding? 

William Solano: This recognition opens very exciting opportunities for coffee breeding, particularly as we face the challenges of climate change. This species shows promising agronomic traits and, importantly, it appears to have superior taste and smell qualities than robusta. This combination makes it an excellent candidate for developing new hybrids that can offer both resilience to climate stress and improved cup quality.

At CATIE, we are proud that our coffee collection has protected this genetic resource for decades, making it available for current and future research. Thanks to this conservation effort, we can now explore its potential more fully, which could lead to C. dewevrei playing a greater role in farmers’ fields – providing more climate-resilient plants – and even in consumers’ cups, enriching the diversity of flavors in the global coffee market.

Crop Trust: What does the smaller wild range of C. liberica mean for conservation and what role can genebanks play?

William Solano: The recent findings about the limited wild range of Coffea liberica are a clear reminder of how urgent it is to conserve coffee genetic resources. Genebanks like CATIE play a critical role in safeguarding this diversity over the long term, ensuring that these unique genetic materials remain available.

At CATIE, we take this mission very seriously. Our collection has been maintained for decades as a living library of coffee diversity. It is a cornerstone of resilience in the global coffee sector. However, conserving coffee diversity is something that genebanks cannot achieve alone.  We need a strong, coordinated approach to implement the global coffee conservation strategy – and, crucially, support from the private sector. Coffee companies, traders and roasters all depend on a resilient and diverse genetic base for the future of their supply chains. By investing in the conservation of coffee diversity today, the industry helps secure the sustainability and innovation potential of coffee production for decades to come.

On this International Coffee Day, as millions sip their favorite seasonal or specialty brew, the message is clear. Coffee’s future depends on protecting its diversity. Thanks to long-term guardians like CATIE – supported through the Crop Trust Endowment Fund – the coffee diversity that can shape tomorrow’s cup of coffee is already conserved in a genebank, waiting to be used. Or perhaps even discovered.