Arabica […] accounts for the majority of coffee beans traded globally, some 70%. But it is highly sensitive to changes in both temperature and humidity. For the last two years, production has failed to meet demand.
The industry is now pinning hopes on another coffee species to sustain production - liberica. Native to western and central Africa, commercial cultivation is centred on the Philippines and currently accounts for only 2% of the global coffee bean harvest.
With a tougher bean that's tricky to process, and perceived as producing a less desirable flavour, liberica is now gaining renewed interest for its hardiness in changing climates.
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