America (Central and South)? Africa? Asia? Oceania? On all these continents,
for coffee cultivation, it's smooth sailing... Europe is the only exception, the forgotten little brother
, the only part of the world incapable of producing coffee on an industrial scale.
In short, it is the only continent not crossed by the famous
"coffee belt," bounded by the Tropic of Cancer at the top and the
Tropic of Capricorn at the bottom. Halfway between these two tropics is the equator.
This band, called the intertropical zone, crosses the world map from west to east, and
is 5,200 kilometers wide. Logically, it is the hottest region on Earth.
Plenty of sunshine, but that's not all...
Consistent warmth throughout the year is one of the essential criteria
for growing coffee trees. There are other conditions that must be met for cultivation to be successful, and
the countries in the coffee belt (e.g. , Brazil, which accounts for nearly 30% of global production
, Colombia in the Americas, Kenya and Ethiopia in Africa,
Vietnam and Indonesia in Asia) also meet these conditions: high humidity (60 to 80%)
throughout the year, no frost (coffee plants can die when the temperature
drops below 10 degrees), high light levels (avoiding direct exposure
to sunlight where possible, for example by planting under trees), and very fertile soil.
There is also a minimum altitude requirement for growing Arabica coffee.
No country on the Old Continent meets all these favorable conditions for the industrial cultivation of coffee trees.
Drought, torrential rains, fungal diseases: a dramatic combination
The coffee belt has already seen better days. The cause is global climate change
. The warming climate means drought
for much of the year in certain parts of the world. And a coffee tree
that is no longer watered by rain produces fewer cherries or risks dying altogether.
In some hot countries, this disruption also takes the form of torrential rains
. And excess water can harm the flowering of coffee trees. Added to this are
fungal diseases, the appearance of fungi that destroy entire crops.
, the most pessimistic scientists predict that nearly 50% of the land currently used to grow coffee could become unusable by 2050!
The first effects have already been felt. For example, episodes of drought and frost
in Brazil have reduced the country's production, contributing to a rise in prices.
Why some European countries want to believe in it
Compared to all this, we could say that the weather forecast in Europe is rather
"good"... Global warming and the famous "There are no seasons anymore" are working in our favor
. Is generous sunshine necessary to grow coffee trees? It is getting warmer on our continent, so everything is fine. Can frost kill the plant? Our winters are getting milder, so everything is fine...
The process is very, very slow, but the trend is reversing. Traditional coffee-producing countries—
—are in a downward phase, whil
, unlikely territories, particularly in Europe, are beginning to experiment with coffee cultivation, albeit on a small scale, but with promising results in some cases.
What are the forecasts for our continent in terms of global warming? It should
continue to accelerate, with hotter, drier summers and wetter winters
. By 2050, the average temperature is expected to rise by around 2.7 degrees. Heatwaves
could become the norm. All of these are "favorable" indicators for Europe.
We will take stock in a quarter of a century.
Will the coffee you sip at the office soon be produced in Spain? Will the beans you put in your automatic machine soon come from Portugal?
Will Italy one day be as popular for its coffee as it is for its pasta or
its wines? It's still too early to say, but experts are citing a milestone: 2050, just a quarter of a century away.
The climate is expected to have warmed further, while
research and experimentation, which is quite intensive in some countries, continues.
Growing coffee trees on a large scale in Europe was still a pipe dream a few years ago
, but clearly, things are changing.
Growing coffee plants in greenhouses? Forget it...
Even in the warmest countries of the Mediterranean basin, winters are still too cold at this stage
to grow coffee trees. Research is being conducted
to develop hybrid plant varieties that are more resistant to low
temperatures. Only a few rare regions, benefiting from a favorable microclimate,
are achieving encouraging results. A favorable climate is one that is mild and stable throughout the year. This is because coffee trees do not tolerate instability, sudden changes in weather, or marked differences between seasons.
One solution to speed things up could be to grow coffee trees in greenhouses. However,
this should not be considered for several reasons: the labor required, the energy costs, the expensive development of the right technology, and the environmental impact
.
The precursors are on islands: the Canaries, the Azores, Sicily
On three islands in southern Europe, the machine is up and running.
In Sicily (Italy), a well-established coffee roaster has been experimenting with coffee cultivation since 2021.
He produces high-quality coffee.
In the Azores (Portugal), a coffee was launched in 2023. The region benefits from rich volcanic soil
, mild temperatures, and high and constant rainfall.
There are around fifty small producers.
Sicily and the Azores currently represent only very limited production. These are pilot projects, far from industrial scale.
The situation is different in Spain. The Agaete Valley on the island of Gran Canaria
(Canary Islands) is the only region in Europe (and the only territory in the world outside the coffee belt) where coffee is produced on a commercial scale. Meanwhile, coffee cultivation trials are also being conducted on another Spanish island, the Balearic Islands.
Comparison of weather conditions: 3 high-production regions, 3 European territories in the experimental phase
CLIMATE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE SEASONAL CHARACTERISTICS
BRAZIL (State of Minas Gerais) (world's leading producer) Tropical highlands 21°C Hot and rainy December–March, dry and cooler June–September
VIETNAM (Central Highlands) (2nd largest producer worldwide) Tropical temperate 20°C Dry November–May, rainy season June–October
ETHIOPIA (Sidamo Province) (5th largest producer worldwide) Tropical highlands 18°C Dry November–March, rainy season June–September
SPAIN (Canary Islands) Subtropical 23°C Light rainfall in summer, mild rainy season November–January
PORTUGAL (Azores) Temperate oceanic 18°C Dry June–September, frequent rainfall November–March
ITALY (Sicily) Mediterranean 17°C Dry June–August, rainy December–February
Article written by Pierre Danvoye for Cafés Van Hove
