Nestlé has announced new research showing that planting a mix of six robusta coffee varieties in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, can increase yields by up to 86% compared to the country’s commonly used local coffee variety, while also improving flavour and resilience to climate stress.

The findings come from a multi-year study conducted by the Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences in collaboration with Côte d'Ivoire’s Centre National de Recherche Agronomique (CNRA).

Since 2018, researchers have evaluated 18 robusta coffee varieties across four coffee-growing regions in Côte d'Ivoire, assessing factors including yield, bean quality, flavour profile and drought tolerance under changing climate conditions.

The six best-performing varieties – two developed by Nestlé and four by CNRA – were then tested as a combined varietal mix. According to the companies, further trials demonstrated that planting the six varieties together delivered the strongest overall performance, increasing yields while improving tolerance to climate-related stress and enhancing cup quality.

Sensory testing also found that the robusta blend produced a smoother flavour profile, with reduced bitterness and fewer woody notes typically associated with robusta coffee.

The six varieties have now been officially registered in Côte d'Ivoire and will be distributed to farmers through cooperatives participating in the Nescafé Plan, Nestlé’s sustainable coffee sourcing initiative.

Hubert Coffi, agronomy manager for the Nestlé Institute of Agricultural Sciences in Côte d'Ivoire, said: “Côte d'Ivoire, the third-largest coffee producer in Africa, is feeling the effects of climate change, with shifting rainfall and rising temperatures impacting crop health and yield.”

“Together with partners such as CNRA, we are exploring resilient coffee varieties to help protect farmers' livelihoods and ensure consumers can continue to enjoy great-tasting coffee in the future.”

Nestlé said its coffee breeding programme in Côte d'Ivoire is led from its experimental farm in Zambakro, alongside local research partners and the company’s plant sciences department in Tours, France.

The company added that farmers visiting the Zambakro site also receive training in regenerative agriculture practices aimed at supporting the long-term sustainability of coffee production.

The project forms part of Nestlé’s wider coffee breeding efforts focused on developing higher-yielding, drought- and disease-tolerant coffee varieties for key coffee-growing regions.