On a trip with the Cotopaxi Foundation to the Ecuadorian Amazon last fall, I got to explore the world of robusta coffee—something I knew next-to-nothing about.
I discovered that robusta coffee has been wrongly cast as inferior to arabica, relegated to instants and blends. I also learned that robusta has significant potential since it’s more resistant to pests and disease, and does better in heat. Could it be the bean of choice in a world made warmer by climate change?
I also found out that many growers are improving the flavor profile of robusta, optimizing bean growth, harvest, roasting, and processing to give it just as much culinary clout as arabica.
One of these growers is Witoca Coffee, founded by wife-and-husband team Andrea López and Favio Legarda. Not only are they uplifting the robusta bean, but they’re also empowering their community to earn a better living growing robusta. Recently, coffee agriculture even helped them build a community library that hosts a book club for kids!
Check out my story about Andrea, Favio, and robusta coffee over at Cotopaxi Common Thread. And you can watch their story in a video I helped produce (shot and edited by the talented Esteban Barrera) below:
MAYA SILVER 