News Release

MADISON, Wis. — A study published in the journal Crop Science has found coffee holds promise as a potential specialty crop in Florida.

Researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences spent three years examining whether the state’s climate and soil could support the crop. Using four coffee varieties, the team found strong yields, high coffee quality and profits that could surpass citrus fruit farms.

“This contrast underscores the economic potential of coffee as an alternative high-value crop in regions where citrus profitability has declined,” said the researchers, led by Research Assistant Scientist Luis Felipe Ferrão, who also works on breeding blueberries and other fruits.

The search for new places to grow coffee has been an urgent issue for industry. New pests, diseases, price instability and climate change are all driving up costs around the world.

These pressures may create an opportunity for domestic production, though perhaps not on a large scale. The researchers highlighted Florida’s network of specialty roasters, coffee shops, and small-scale farm-to-table operations as potential beneficiaries.

The trial also challenged the team’s expectations about the most potent barriers to coffee production. While they originally worried about climate and soil conditions, they found the intense management needs of coffee to be the biggest constraint.

Florida’s climate caused no major losses, and its sandy soils were enriched to support the crop. But finding expertise in fertilization, irrigation, pruning and other techniques was difficult.

“We noticed that the limited availability of local labor with experience in coffee cultivation proved to be a significant constraint,” they wrote.

Substantial work remains to determine coffee’s viability in Florida. Data captured only the very first harvests of young, three-year-old trees. Moreover, exploring additional coffee types could identify the best fit for Florida’s weather extremes.

Researchers from the University of Florida stated that “one of the biggest challenges is that coffee is not traditionally part of Florida's crop portfolio. While we can borrow knowledge from established crops such as citrus, many production practices must still be adapted specifically for coffee.”

For example, coffee has its own fertilizer needs, local diseases and stressors, pruning requirements and seed propagation. The crop also requires plenty of specialized equipment to harvest and process.

American coffee drinkers account for 20% of all global imports. The potential arrival of coffee farms on U.S. soil could provide a new outlet for the coffee market to serve the needs of every caffeine lover across the country, and with enough time, the rest of the world.

This study was conducted by a multidisciplinary team assembled for coffee investigation at the University of Florida.