Rethinking Coffee: Nestlé targets yield and resilience with robusta varieties

With coffee supply chains under pressure from climate volatility and rising costs, Nestlé has unveiled new robusta varieties designed to boost yields and improve resilience — part of a wider industry push to future-proof ingredient sourcing.

Nestlé’s move comes as robusta is gaining strategic importance across the coffee sector amid arabica supply volatility and rising green coffee prices.

Nestlé says its latest varieties can increase yields and reduce emissions. They underscore how major food companies are investing in crop innovation to protect future supply chains.

The Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences carried out multi-year research alongside the National Agricultural Research Center of Côte d’Ivoire (Centre National de Recherche Agronomique, CNRA).

Coffee quality assessment

The team of plant scientists studied 18 robusta varieties across four coffee-growing regions in Côte d’Ivoire, evaluating yield, flavor, bean quality, drought tolerance, and overall performance under climate stress.

The six top-performing varieties — two developed by Nestlé and four by CNRA — were then tested in combination. Trials showed the blend delivered the best results, increasing yields while improving climate resilience and cup quality. Sensory tests also found a smoother flavor profile, with less bitterness and fewer woody notes typically linked to robusta coffee.

Crucially, the research shows that planting a mix of six rigorously tested and validated robusta coffee varieties can increase yields by up to 86%. This is particularly important as the coffee sector is increasingly exposed to climate variability and productivity constraints.

Last month, Nestlé reaffirmed coffee as a key growth driver after it delivered around 9.3% organic growth in Q1 2026, with strong performance across regions and major brands.

Adapting to climate change

Improving the productivity and resilience of coffee production has become a key priority. These latest varieties are part of Nestlé’s broader Nescafé Plan 2030, which helps drive regenerative agriculture, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve farmers’ livelihoods. 

Developing high-yielding, climate-resilient coffee varieties is a key part of the program.

The six varieties have now been officially registered in Côte d’Ivoire, and the varietal mix will be made available to farmers as part of Nestlé’s sustainable coffee sourcing program.

“Côte d’Ivoire, the third-largest coffee producer in Africa, is feeling the effects of climate change, with shifting rainfall and rising temperatures impacting crop health and yield,” says Hubert Coffi, agronomy manager for the Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Côte d’Ivoire. 

“Together with partners such as CNRA, we are exploring resilient coffee varieties to help protect farmers’ livelihoods and ensure consumers can continue to enjoy great-tasting coffee in the future.”

The initiative builds on Nestlé’s use of classical breeding to develop high-yielding, disease- and drought-resistant coffee varieties adapted to changing local conditions. Recent examples include Roubi 1 and Roubi 2 in Mexico, which deliver up to 50% higher yields, and Star 4 in Brazil, an arabica variety with larger beans and resistance to coffee leaf rust.

Other moves in Nestlé’s coffee portfolio

Last month, Nestlé reaffirmed coffee as a core global growth pillar, saying that itwas the standout contributor to the company’s Q1 2026 performance, delivering organic growth of around 9.3%. Coffee grew across different regions, supported by strong performance from key brands. 

Also in April, Nestlé agreed to sell Blue Bottle Coffee as part of its ongoing restructuring, marking a retreat from specialty retail coffee. The move aligns with the company’s strategy to streamline its portfolio and focus on scalable global brands, particularly in coffee, where Nescafé and Nespresso continue to drive growth.

Nestlé and Starbucks have also recently jointly launched Starbucks Coffee Craft concentrate, a premium concentrated coffee made with high-quality Arabica beans that is said to deliver Starbucks’ signature taste.

Last year, the company also opened its first coffee concentrate production line in Asia at the Sri Muda factory in Malaysia to meet rising demand for cold coffee across the region.