Young coffee seedling growing in soil, representing sustainable coffee farming.

How carefully selected coffee varieties help farms stay resilient

Planting tomorrow's coffee farms

5 min

Renewing a coffee farm doesn’t always mean finding more land. Sometimes, it starts with choosing the right trees. From research centres to farmers’ fields, carefully selected coffee varieties help renew ageing plots and support the way coffee is grown. Discover how science, testing and farmer experience come together in the field.

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Why smarter plant choices matter

Across coffee-growing regions, farmers are selecting varieties that help them work with the land and water they already have. Trees selected for local environments can support farming practices as growing conditions change. Built on years of research and on-farm trials, these choices help match varieties to local realities so farming approaches can continue to evolve.

Coffee farmer inspecting healthy coffee plants in a plantation.

Farmers select coffee varieties that are suitable for their land

José Méndez: Producing more coffee from the same land

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1:25

Where plantlets fit into the bigger picture

Renovating a coffee farm takes time and careful decisions. Pruning ageing trees, renewing plots and introducing new varieties when appropriate can support how farms are managed. Plantlets are one practical part of that process. Since 2010, more than 310 million plantlets have been distributed across more than 10 countries, each selected to suit local growing conditions. The principle is simple: match the right variety to the right place, then support farmers with training and field advice so they can put it into practice.

Rows of young coffee plantlets growing in a nursery for farm renovation.

NESCAFÉ® supports farmers with training to introduce new coffee varieties

Roger Lopez: A new generation of coffee farmers

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1:20

What you can see on the ground

New coffee varieties are developed through classical plant breeding, combining the strengths of different parent plants. Promising candidates are first tested on experimental farms, then trialled in local growing regions. Farmers play a central role, assessing how the trees perform in real conditions before they are shared more widely. Because coffee is never one-size-fits-all, only varieties that prove themselves locally move forward.

Close-up of ripe red coffee cherries growing on a coffee branch.

Careful plant breeding contributes to new coffee plant varieties

Hazelt Rivera: Building a resilient future

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1:29

Farmers working with the land

In Veracruz, Mexico, third-generation farmer Hazel Berenice Molina Rivera shares how new plantlets have changed the way she approaches her farm: “One of the advantages now is that we don’t need to buy more land to produce more coffee.”* With more compact, well-spaced trees and thoughtful renovation, harvesting can become more streamlined, and the farm can be easier to manage and plan.

Coffee farmer harvesting ripe coffee cherries from a coffee plant.

Farms can be easier to manage and plan with the new approach to plantlets

The future of coffee farming

Plantlets are one part of a broader farm renovation journey. When the right variety is matched to local conditions, and backed by practical training and field support, farmers can continue growing coffee on the land they already have.

For coffee drinkers, that means something simple: a cup supported by careful science, practical know-how and farmer experience. Smarter plant choices today help keep the coffee you love available tomorrow.

_{*Based on individual farmers' experiences in Mexico, under local growing conditions. This is based on participating farmers observed yield increases compared to their historical farm-level baseline. Results may vary depending on location and farming practices (2025).}