The instant coffee you drink today has come a long way since it was first created several decades back.
That’s because today’s coffee is the result of a combination of solid science and hard work to continuously improve good coffee crops that result to quality coffee products.
Most of these improvements in coffee quality can be credited to the research and development endeavors of Nestle, makers of Nescafe. And one of its chief research hubs is the Nestle Research and Development Center in Tours, France.
“The Nestle R&D Center was created to provide technologies that ensure the quality and sustainability of plant raw material supply,” shares Arthur Baria, local head of agricultural services of Nestle. “It was built as an open R&D system that focuses on the ever-increasing demands of coffee drinkers.”
“Coffee research in the Center aims to develop desired coffee qualities like taste and aroma, while ensuring that the varieties deliver superior performance to the farmer,” Baria says.
The R&D Center is composed of a diverse group of scientists, headed by Dr. Pierre Broun. It focuses mainly on coffee and cocoa products. For these scientists, improving coffee quality, Baria says, means “knowing more about coffee’s biological processes like flowering, fruit ripening, etc—that determine bean quality and ultimately affect coffee taste.”
For its significant contributions to the coffee industry, the Center was recently recognized by the French Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries as a leading example of industrial plant biotechnology in France.
The fruits of the R&D Center’s labor have in turn helped coffee farmers around the world.
Baria explains that the varieties developed here have superior performance in terms of their productivity, and have better disease or drought tolerance—all valuable qualities for farmers of any plant look for.
“Their methods of producing and distributing coffee varieties also guarantee a high level of consistency, which leads to better yields overall,” Baria adds.
He explains, “As one of the largest producers of soluble coffee in the world, Nescafé continuously assists coffee-producing countries by distributing these improved planting materials to numerous coffee growers across the globe.”