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2014 and only recently to coffee industry in Brazil, so we will
have to wait and see how it will influence coffee production.
In times of climate change, changing the way we plant
coffee is an extremely important work and it will be vital
to the future of coffee, especially as it pertains to a changing
climate and adaptability for growers who can no longer rely
on older cultivars. There are also innovations around pro-
cessing machines such as Penagos and Pinhalense with
Aqua-pulpers that have been very important in terms of
ARMERS Starting from bean to cup, we should water conservation and allowing farmers more options for
talk about the very beginning of your improved quality. Innovation in irritating systems are also
morning cup, which is the origin: 90%of the world’s coffee crucial as the weather is getting hotter so any way of efficient
production takes place in developing countries, coffee is irrigation methods and increased yields and quality improve-
grown in over 50 countries in Asia, Africa, South America, ment in a more sustainable manner is all part of a continu-
Central America and the Caribbean. The top three produc- ous improvement plan for coffee growers.As we can see
ers of coffee are Brazil, Vietnam and Columbia. As farming innovations have started to enter one of the most tradi-
has always been one of traditional areas, it seems to just tional parts of coffee chain. Nevertheless, John Gordon from
start getting all the technological advantages: during our Gorilla Gear thinks that we need to push technology from
last trip to the farms in Brazil we encountered TDL, a new green bean to cup even more: “One of my favorite projects
model of coffee cherry harvest machine which is mainly for the future is an affordable sustainable energy for coffee
used in large-scale coffee farms. This machine has realized producers in areas where they do not have power and they
the dream of harvesting all the coffee plants at one time, have to use diesel engines, harming soil and the crop, that
though some immature coffee cherries and even leaves is why we need to look for alterative energy sources, not just
still will be harvested at the same time. They already ap- help to take care of the land, but also provide farmers with the
plied TDL in a Fazenda Ventulim farm in Colatina, where basics that we take for granted.” Moreover, John Gordon shared
harvest rate can reach 82% to 90% due to using this ma- that right now he is working on devices that will be able to
chine. It can help farms save considerable time and labor collect information we need to measure certain things in soil,
cost, and as a result, they can spend more money on sci- weather and processing. Having this technology available will
entific processing and fermentation. make it easier for farmers to communicate with green buyers
One more important innovation touched the drying and roasters, while they can consistently produce good qual-
process. Drying is the critical first step in preserving the ity coffee without guessing about how to process it. As year
quality of agricultural commodities. Immediate drying of over year the weather might change, farmers should be aware
grains and seeds to the correct moisture content (MC) is an of it and prepared to produce sustainable product.
effective post-harvest practice that
minimizes fungal growth and infesta-
tion. Sun-drying is the most common
method used in the tropical and sub-
tropical regions of the world. The pro-
cess is simple and relies on free solar
energy. However, it is very dependent
on weather conditions. Climate change
makes weather very unpredictable and
unexpected rainfall can result in delayed
drying, re-wetted grains and quality
deterioration. This leads to damages
that reduce the market value of the
commodity. To address these problems,
GrainPro, in close collaboration with
the International Rice Research Insti-
tute (IRRI) and the University of Ho-
henheim (UOH) Germany, introduces
the Solar Bubble Dryer (SBD): a modern
drying innovation that minimizes the
effects of unpredictable weather to
commodities during its drying stage.
The dryer was introduced to farming in

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