Bringing Cuban coffee farming back from the brink

[El Presidente]

I know Andy Ryan is doing a similar thing in PDR. 

I am intrigued as to the unique charachteristics of shade grown coffee. 

https://www.traveltradecaribbean.es/en/bringing-cuban-coffee-farming-back-from-the-brink/

Bringing Cuban coffee farming back from the brink

Deep in the Cuban rainforest, agronomists and coffee experts are producing some of the world’s most unique beans. Lavazza reveals how its BioCubaCafé project continues to break new ground – including a first in fermented Robusta.

In 1959, at the end of the revolution, Cuba’s rainforest cover was just 13 per cent due to years of monoculture farming. Fast-forward to the end of 2022, however, and that figure has more than tripled to 43 per cent.

This staggering improvement – one of the most successful reforestation projects in history – is largely thanks to a series of initiatives that have seen local communities, government projects, and global brands come together to form a connection between environment and development.

Among the vast swathes of forest that now cover the Caribbean country is some of the world’s most unique coffee. There are no row-planted estates: instead, coffee is shade-grown in harmony with the forest. What’s more, these ‘farms’ are organic due to the island’s strict rules on chemical fertilisers.

Inspired by the success of these reforestation efforts and the potential for sustainable production, in 2018 the Lavazza Foundation started working in the Santiago and Granma regions with two main objectives: revitalise the country’s coffee farming industry by contributing to its reforestation efforts, and bring Cuban coffee back to the quality levels that had once made it popular around the world.

Seven years in, the project now works with more than 2500 farmers in the country. Its core goals of forest protection, improvement of coffee quality, simplification of the supply chain, achievement of organic certification and training on good farming practices, and strengthening the role of women and young people have been hugely successful. So much so that, in 2023, the Lavazza Foundation teamed up with Hecho en Italia and Grupo Agroforestal to form economic association BioCubaCafé.

“BioCubaCafé is one of the very first joint ventures operating in the agroforestry sector in Cuba and represents a major innovation: a systemic change in how the supply chain functions,” says Michele Curto, President of BioCubaCafé.

“This joint venture can purchase coffee directly from producers, eliminating the need for numerous intermediaries. What were once purchase contracts have been replaced by stable, multi-year collaboration agreements with municipal enterprises.

“This shift marks a paradigm change, as it allows BioCubaCafé to invest across the entire supply chain – from the producer to its own processing plant – providing essential production inputs that are often scarce, such as fuel, which in turn enables the production of higher-quality coffee.”

As part of the project, the team have developed systems that blend blockchain technology with human processes to monitor traceability. What’s more, they’ve introduced a network of more than 30 sensors, geo-stations, and weather stations across the territory to record real-time data, which is made available to farmers to strengthen agroecological practices.

Alongside these practical innovations to aid Cuban coffee producers, the project has also established a series of open-air laboratories for processing and product research and development.

“We call them our ‘living laboratories’ as they are really in the field – just next to the processing station and the forest in which the coffee is grown,” says Francesca Dangelico, Lavazza Group Food Development and Innovation Director.  “One of our key areas of research in these labs is fermentation.”

Fermentation is a key element of coffee processing and occurs either aerobically (when oxygen is available) or anaerobically (when oxygen isn’t available). Aerobic fermentation is standard in the coffee industry, but more recently people have started to explore anaerobic fermentation of coffee cherries stored in water tanks to produce different flavour profiles.

 

“Cuba has world-class scientists and strong traditions in fields like biotechnology and fermentation. We’re connecting that existing knowledge with the coffee expertise,” says Dangelico.

“We’ve been collaborating with local producers and the scientific community in Cuba to explore the use of naturally occurring bacteria and yeast strains to produce unique fermented coffees.”

Yeast or bacteria fermented coffees see specific strains introduced to whole  or depulped cherries to control the fermentation process.

“This fermentation process can produce some beautiful fruity and wine-like notes. It’s often used for Arabica beans, but it’s rare for Robusta. Over the past year, we’ve been experimenting with Robustas fermented in this way and have recently introduced it to a new professional blend in our La Reserva de ¡Tierra! Cuba range,” she says.

 

“To produce a round and balanced Italian espresso, we believe you need a good blend of Arabica and Robusta. Adding a fermented Robusta introduces those chocolate, fruit, and wine notes, creates a smooth texture, and yields a good crema.”

While Dangelico and team only recently brought the new fermented Robusta La Reserva de ¡Tierra! Cuba product to market, they have been researching fermented coffees in Cuba for years. Over the course of their experimentation, they trialled about 200 variations before landing on their final recipe.

“When people try the new coffee, they are quite surprised. Robusta is often perceived as low-quality, but that’s not true – especially if it’s processed and selected in the right way,” she says.

“Using Robusta in place of Arabica may  also be beneficial in terms of sustainability. Due to climate change, there is a possibility production rates of Arabica will fall while Robusta rise. In Cuba, we’re lucky regenerative farming is very much already embedded in the culture.”

The innovation in these field labs doesn’t stop at fermentation. Drawing on Cuba’s rich history of rum production, the team are trialling rum-barrel-aged coffees.

“We are aging the green beans in the barrels for about 90 days, which produces a sweeter tasting coffee with notes of caramel and vanilla. It really tastes like drinking coffee with a splash of rum in it, but with no alcohol,” says Dangelico. “It’s a unique product – very good as a hot brew but also amazing as cold brew.

“We love experimenting with research and development in this way. The BioCubaCafé project has not only enabled us to support Cuba’s coffee industry but also tap into the local knowledge to create exciting and innovative new products.” 

For more information, visit lavazza.com

[barrygoodvibes]

Very exciting. Coffee is 2nd only to cigars for me. 

[Ryan]

17 hours ago, El Presidente said:

I know Andy Ryan is doing a similar thing in PDR. 

I am intrigued as to the unique charachteristics of shade grown coffee. 

My first delivery is on a ship at the moment crossing the Atlantic.

Shade grown coffee is the traditional method of growing coffee. It produces a much lower yield than intensively grown coffee, which is why most of the world's Arabica and Robusta is currently grown intensively. Shade grown can yield up to 400 kgs of coffee per hectare. Intensively grown; up to 2,000 kgs per hectare. 

However, shade grown coffee berries ripen more slowly, this allows the coffee to develop more sweetness and complexity. It's generally higher quality.

Unlike tobacco, where cloth is used for shade, trees are used to provide shade for coffee in Cuba. In Pinar del Rio, Carob trees and Piñon Florido trees. Piñon Florido trees are leguminous, the roots fix nitrogen into the soil, so the coffee needs less fertilizer. The tree roots protect the soil from runoff and leaf mulch preserves moisture, so the plants are less water intensive.

The trees attract migratory birds which reduce pest insects on the coffee plants, so less pesticide. "Bird Friendly" certifications along with deforestation certifications are becoming important in the coffee industry. No artificial chemicals have been used on the farm since 1993.

The EU is bringing in deforestation regulations for coffee imports next year, after delays. It will hurt much of the coffee industry. From December this year, coffee sold in Europe must be traceable to the farm plot with evidence that there has been no deforestation since 2020. Cuba was 8% forested in 1959, last year it was 42% forested, the opposite of most countries. We are currently "reforesting" the farms with saplings and every bag of coffee has blockchain traceability back to the plot's GPS coordinates.

The homegrown innovation and sustainability of the Cuban coffee growers, processors and nurseries, enforced on them as they've had such limited access to materials, resources and investment since the Soviet Union collapsed, is what sealed the deal for me to give this project a go. The UN immediately gave the project a greenlight for inclusion in their "17 Sustainable Development Goals" program. We have gone from 2 workers in November last year to 16 in June and aiming at 25 by the end of the year. I had lunch with them in June, they do appear very happy with the new jobs. I visited their kids in the local schools with my family where we've started art projects, with the aim of developing the community and reducing emigration, we need workers. We have plans to build community centres/pavillions in the communities where people can socialize. Before that, we're starting wormeries on the farms so we can produce local, organic NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium fertilizer). 

It's really nice. And the coffee is very good. And it's the coffee that tobacco farmers pair with their cigars.

Coffee in the container ready to go.

 

Pinarica coffee flowering beside a field of tobacco last March.

[ha_banos]

Yass! crossing the Atlantic 

[sbsbsb1]

5 hours ago, Ryan said:

My first delivery is on a ship at the moment crossing the Atlantic.

Shade grown coffee is the traditional method of growing coffee. It produces a much lower yield than intensively grown coffee, which is why most of the world's Arabica and Robusta is currently grown intensively. Shade grown can yield up to 400 kgs of coffee per hectare. Intensively grown; up to 2,000 kgs per hectare. 

However, shade grown coffee berries ripen more slowly, this allows the coffee to develop more sweetness and complexity. It's generally higher quality.

Unlike tobacco, where cloth is used for shade, trees are used to provide shade for coffee in Cuba. In Pinar del Rio, Carob trees and Piñon Florido trees. Piñon Florido trees are leguminous, the roots fix nitrogen into the soil, so the coffee needs less fertilizer. The tree roots protect the soil from runoff and leaf mulch preserves moisture, so the plants are less water intensive.

The trees attract migratory birds which reduce pest insects on the coffee plants, so less pesticide. "Bird Friendly" certifications along with deforestation certifications are becoming important in the coffee industry. No artificial chemicals have been used on the farm since 1993.

The EU is bringing in deforestation regulations for coffee imports next year, after delays. It will hurt much of the coffee industry. From December this year, coffee sold in Europe must be traceable to the farm plot with evidence that there has been no deforestation since 2020. Cuba was 8% forested in 1959, last year it was 42% forested, the opposite of most countries. We are currently "reforesting" the farms with saplings and every bag of coffee has blockchain traceability back to the plot's GPS coordinates.

The homegrown innovation and sustainability of the Cuban coffee growers, processors and nurseries, enforced on them as they've had such limited access to materials, resources and investment since the Soviet Union collapsed, is what sealed the deal for me to give this project a go. The UN immediately gave the project a greenlight for inclusion in their "17 Sustainable Development Goals" program. We have gone from 2 workers in November last year to 16 in June and aiming at 25 by the end of the year. I had lunch with them in June, they do appear very happy with the new jobs. I visited their kids in the local schools with my family where we've started art projects, with the aim of developing the community and reducing emigration, we need workers. We have plans to build community centres/pavillions in the communities where people can socialize. Before that, we're starting wormeries on the farms so we can produce local, organic NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium fertilizer). 

It's really nice. And the coffee is very good. And it's the coffee that tobacco farmers pair with their cigars.

Coffee in the container ready to go.

Pinarica coffee flowering beside a field of tobacco last March.

Very interesting!  I assume this will not be available to us US customers, however?

[JDoughty]

I remain skeptical of Robusta as it currently exists and is processed, but like a lot of my friends who are in that field full time who know considerably more than me, also hopeful that varietals, growing techniques and processing methods will be developed that can showcase it better than it has been on the world stage. Which is to say, it has previously been treated and positioned as low end bulk product, often steamed to remove defects and most of the flavor before artificial flavor is added. I am also skeptical of Lavazza, historically a bulk grade player in the coffee world primarily functioning as a commercial supplier. You won't find competition grade coffees, single farm/district offerings or any of the higher end varietals among their offerings despite some effort to position themselves as a luxury coffee. This said, they do some reasonably admirable things within that market niche. Cautiously optimistic? Because we may not have many other choices in the more delicate Arabica varietals with climate change already affecting the harvest. 

[mavoo]

Wow, this is fascinating! I love how the BioCubaCafé project combines sustainable, shade-grown coffee with scientific innovation like fermentation and rum-barrel aging. The idea of fermenting Robusta to bring out fruity and wine-like notes is especially intriguing — it really challenges the typical perception of Robusta as lower quality.

It’s also inspiring to see how reforestation and community involvement are intertwined with coffee production. Shade-grown, organic coffee in harmony with the forest sounds like a perfect model for both environmental sustainability and unique flavors.

I’d love to try some of these Cuban blends and see how the fermented Robusta tastes compared to traditional Arabica blends. Definitely shows how much potential there is when tradition and science meet in coffee production!

[JDoughty]

47 minutes ago, mavoo said:

Wow, this is fascinating! I love how the BioCubaCafé project combines sustainable, shade-grown coffee with scientific innovation like fermentation and rum-barrel aging. The idea of fermenting Robusta to bring out fruity and wine-like notes is especially intriguing — it really challenges the typical perception of Robusta as lower quality.

It’s also inspiring to see how reforestation and community involvement are intertwined with coffee production. Shade-grown, organic coffee in harmony with the forest sounds like a perfect model for both environmental sustainability and unique flavors.

I’d love to try some of these Cuban blends and see how the fermented Robusta tastes compared to traditional Arabica blends. Definitely shows how much potential there is when tradition and science meet in coffee production!

So I hang out a fair amount on the periphery of the coffee industry, for reasons. Mostly because I am a giant coffee nerd and am involved in the coffee competition circuit as a sensory judge and signature beverage/taste profile formulation coach. A lot of work is being done with radical fermentation and cofermentation methods, but almost entirely on Arabica varietals. I do agree that there is a lot of potential in Robusta, but it may take some time before varietals and methods are developed that can properly showcase the very different characteristics of that coffee. What is mentioned here is certainly intriguing. I've enjoyed some excellent spent barrel fermented coffees. My favorites so far have been bourbon barrel aged coffees. Delicious. I think the flavor profiles could potentially work with robusta. 

[Ryan]

7 hours ago, sbsbsb1 said:

Very interesting!  I assume this will not be available to us US customers, however?

Not immediately I'm afraid, but who knows in future?

[qs210]

Really interesting stuff. Thanks for sharing!

[madandana]

On 10/21/2025 at 10:50 PM, Ryan said:

My first delivery is on a ship at the moment crossing the Atlantic.

Shade grown coffee is the traditional method of growing coffee. It produces a much lower yield than intensively grown coffee, which is why most of the world's Arabica and Robusta is currently grown intensively. Shade grown can yield up to 400 kgs of coffee per hectare. Intensively grown; up to 2,000 kgs per hectare. 

However, shade grown coffee berries ripen more slowly, this allows the coffee to develop more sweetness and complexity. It's generally higher quality.

Unlike tobacco, where cloth is used for shade, trees are used to provide shade for coffee in Cuba. In Pinar del Rio, Carob trees and Piñon Florido trees. Piñon Florido trees are leguminous, the roots fix nitrogen into the soil, so the coffee needs less fertilizer. The tree roots protect the soil from runoff and leaf mulch preserves moisture, so the plants are less water intensive.

The trees attract migratory birds which reduce pest insects on the coffee plants, so less pesticide. "Bird Friendly" certifications along with deforestation certifications are becoming important in the coffee industry. No artificial chemicals have been used on the farm since 1993.

The EU is bringing in deforestation regulations for coffee imports next year, after delays. It will hurt much of the coffee industry. From December this year, coffee sold in Europe must be traceable to the farm plot with evidence that there has been no deforestation since 2020. Cuba was 8% forested in 1959, last year it was 42% forested, the opposite of most countries. We are currently "reforesting" the farms with saplings and every bag of coffee has blockchain traceability back to the plot's GPS coordinates.

The homegrown innovation and sustainability of the Cuban coffee growers, processors and nurseries, enforced on them as they've had such limited access to materials, resources and investment since the Soviet Union collapsed, is what sealed the deal for me to give this project a go. The UN immediately gave the project a greenlight for inclusion in their "17 Sustainable Development Goals" program. We have gone from 2 workers in November last year to 16 in June and aiming at 25 by the end of the year. I had lunch with them in June, they do appear very happy with the new jobs. I visited their kids in the local schools with my family where we've started art projects, with the aim of developing the community and reducing emigration, we need workers. We have plans to build community centres/pavillions in the communities where people can socialize. Before that, we're starting wormeries on the farms so we can produce local, organic NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium fertilizer). 

It's really nice. And the coffee is very good. And it's the coffee that tobacco farmers pair with their cigars.

Coffee in the container ready to go.

Pinarica coffee flowering beside a field of tobacco last March.

Congratulations on getting the first shipment out Andy. I guess I’ll have to come your way to try a cup.