Queensland Coffee Growers Developing Hybrid Varieties In Pursuit Of Specialty Status – CoffeeTalk

Griffith University’s agricultural scientist, Dr. Fawad Ali, is helping Queensland coffee growers elevate their coffee from commodity-grade to’specialty coffee’ status and boost crop valuation. The project, driven by the Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland initiative, marks a turning point for Australian coffee growers, who are now able to take a front seat in a market historically dominated by roasters and importers.

The project, currently operating with growers from Tropical North Queensland’s Tablelands region, has delivered a series of innovations for implementation at a commercial scale in the future, empowering local coffee growers to command premium prices previously reserved for international competitors. The industry has the ‘coffee cupping score’, which is based on flavor, aroma, and aftertaste, and goes from 0 to 100. By using novel fermentation techniques and optimized nitrogen inputs, the team has established laboratory-based factual evidence for achieving a cupping score of more than 80, up from just 73. This will elevate their coffee crops from commodity status to ‘specialty coffee’ status and now allows Queensland coffee growers to command significantly higher prices in premium markets.

Dr. Ali is leading the three-year project on the ground with Tablelands coffee growers for the past year, which includes developing 10 novel hybrid coffee varieties tailored to Queensland’s unique agro-climatic conditions, improving quality to broaden the market avenue for Australian coffee, establishing the first on-site coffee lab at the farm gate (Murat Farms), and improving nutrient management using optimal nitrogen application. This project will create opportunities for the implementation of laboratory-based prototype models on a commercial scale through future funds.

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