PATROCINIO, Cerrado Mineiro, Brazil – On August 27th, 2013 in the morning illycaffè organized a ceremony for the donation of six specialty coffee varieties to the World Coffee Research (WCR), international program on research and coffee development.
The event occurred at the Fazenda Boa Vista, in Patrocínio, Cerrado Mineiro, Brazil. These varieties represent over 20 years of collaborative effort between Daterra Farms and ILLY. The contribution of these varieties to WCR will advance genetic quality improvement in arabica coffees.
The delivery of the seeds was realized by Experimental Agrícola do Brasil, the company associated to illycaffè, which purchases and exports high quality coffees, carries out research and offers technical consultancy services to the producers.
Mrs. Anna Illy, member of the Board of Directors of illycaffè and chairman of Experimental Agrícola do Brasil, Dr. Aldir Teixeira, CEO/General Manager of Experimental Agrícola do Brasil, Mr. Marcio Reis, technician of Experimental Agrícola do Brasil, Dr. Timothy Schilling, Executive Director of WCR, Dr. Carlos Carvalho from Embrapa-WCR, Mr. Leo Santana and Mr. Gustavo, Managers of the Fazenda Boa Vista, attended at the ceremony.
The objective of the donation is the preservation of the variability of coffea arabica, exclusively used by illycaffè to produce its blend. The six varieties are:
1. Aramosa – hybrid Arabica x Racemosa (F5)
2. Naomi – somaclonal variation (F5)
3. Bourbon Amarelo Short (BAS/Yellow Short Bourbon) – somaclonal variation (F5)
4. Yellow Caturra – somaclonal variation (F6)
5. Bourbon Vermelho Short (BVS/Red Short Bourbon) – somaclonal variation (F4)
6. Mundo Novo de Porte Baixo (MNPB/Short Stature Mundo Novo) – somaclonal variation (F4).
About WCR
World Coffee Research, a 501 (c)(5) non-profit, collaborative research and development program of the global coffee industry, exists to grow, protect, and enhance supplies of quality coffee while improving the livelihoods of the families who produce it. WCR was founded and is maintained by the world coffee industries, under the management of Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture of the Texas A&M University System, U.S.A. Its official web site is http://worldcoffeeresearch.org/.
