Imagine a world without your favorite coffee. No bright, fruity Ethiopian. No rich, chocolatey Colombian.
It sounds dramatic, but it’s a real threat. The beans we love, particularly the delicate [, are in danger from a changing climate. As your local Arizona roasters since 1997, we believe it’s our job to be transparent about the future of coffee and what we can all do about it.
The Problem: Coffee is a Delicate Crop
Arabica coffee is not a "robust" plant. It needs very specific conditions to thrive: cool, stable temperatures found only at high altitudes, predictable rainy seasons, and specific soil.
Climate change is disrupting all of it. Rising temperatures are pushing coffee farms further up the mountains, where land is scarce. Erratic weather patterns can wipe out a crop. And warmer air allows devastating pests, like the "coffee leaf rust" fungus, to survive at higher elevations than ever before.
In fact, the experts at World Coffee Research (WCR), a non-profit dedicated to this, warn that by 2050, the amount of land suitable for growing Arabica could be cut in half.
The Solution: How Sustainable Farming Fights Back
This is where "sustainability" becomes about survival. Here’s what sustainable, climate-smart farming looks like:
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Agroforestry (Shade-Grown): This is the #1 tool. Instead of clear-cutting land, farmers plant their coffee under the canopy of native trees. This "agroforestry" system creates a cooler, more stable microclimate, protects the beans from harsh weather, and provides a habitat for birds that eat coffee pests.
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Water-Smart Processing: Many sustainable farms are moving to "honey" or "natural" processing methods, which use dramatically less water than the traditional "washed" method.
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Investing in Research: Sustainable sourcing helps fund organizations like WCR, who are working to identify and breed new, climate-resilient varietals of coffee that are both delicious and hardy.
Your Role in the Solution
The choices we make at the roastery—and the choices you make as a customer—have a direct impact.
When you buy a bag of high-quality, sustainably-sourced coffee, you are supporting farmers who use these climate-smart techniques. You are paying a premium that gives them the financial stability to invest in these long-term solutions, rather than cutting corners for a short-term-yield.
At ROC², we are committed to sourcing from farms and co-ops that are not just growing coffee for today, but are actively protecting the future of coffee for tomorrow.