Roughly 4.2 million pounds of coffee are produced annually between Hawaii and California. Another 10 million pounds are grown each year in Puerto Rico. But a new study finds promise for coffee growers in the USA, and it’s centered on an emerging destination: Florida.
As reported by Growing Produce, researchers from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture spent three years examining the state’s viability for coffee production. Published in the journal Crop Science, the researchers focused on four Arabica cultivars in particular: Fronton, Limani, Typica, and Obatā. The most common among them, Typica, was selected for its cup quality despite its typically low yield. Fronton and Limani for their stable yields and higher heat tolerance, and Obatā for its “vigorous growth and disease tolerance in low- to mid-altitude regions.”
In total, 48 Arabica plants were germinated in 2022 before being transplanted UF’s Tropical Research and Education Center in May of 2023. Harvest and quality data was collected starting with harvests occurring in 2025; the first harvest was the year prior and not included.
After processing the green coffee and analyzing the cup quality, the researchers found the tropical and sub-tropical conditions of South Florida to be viable for coffee production. And not just viable but potentially more profitable for farmers than growing the citrus the state is synonymous with.
It was not without its problems though. While researchers expected issues to arise from the region’s sandy soil—which were resolved by nutrient-rich amendments—the major constraint came from coffee’s “intense management needs,” including “expertise in fertilization, irrigation, pruning, and other techniques.” In short, there aren’t a lot of people who know how to tend to or harvest the crop in the US.
Still, a knowledge gap can be overcome, certainly more easily than climate-based hang ups. It is unlikely that coffee production in Florida will really move the needle as far as the country’s importing needs are concerned; we still consume more coffee than we produce by orders of magnitude. But as a means of increasing the total production while also benefitting the livelihood of farmers locally, it’s hard to see Flordia coffee growing as anything but a good thing.
Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.
