Climate Change Has Repercussions for Coffee and Cocoa

As temperatures heat up across central America, low-lying growing regions which were once ideal for coffee are quickly becoming too warm, at least to grow the kind of quality coffee that is increasingly demanded by consumers. Many farmers in the region are feeling these effects while still trying to recover from a devastating outbreak of roya over the past four years, a disease that affects coffee leaves and is likely also driven by climate change.

Some growers have decided to cut their losses rather than bearing the increased costs of production and are switching to cocoa, which thrives in warmer climates. For many, the decision is a no-brainer, since cocoa futures have increased steadily for the past four years while coffee dropped 24% in 2015. For now, this increased supply won’t do much to ease the fears of chocolate giants like Hershey and Mars, since the farmers switching are mostly aiming to produce higher quality product at lower volumes. Craft chocolate makers can get excited though – in the next few years, it looks like coffee’s loss will be cocoa’s gain.

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