Greener Living
Why the World’s Top Coffee Producer is Switching Up Its Beans
Climate change is making it more difficult to grow arabica, Brazil’s top coffee export.
A worker packs coffee cherries during a harvest in Jacutinga, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.
Photographer: Victor Moriyama/BloombergIn the coming years, coffee from Brazil might start to taste a bit different.
The South American country is the world’s biggest producer of arabica, a mild variety of coffee bean. But as climate change makes it harder to grow those beans, some farmers are investing in robusta, which produces a more bitter bean but can tolerate higher temperatures and is more resistant to diseases.