The situation is clear: global coffee consumption continues to rise, while climate change is making coffee cultivation increasingly challenging. In addition, the coffee industry is facing a number of interrelated challenges. This complexity and the pursuit of greater sustainability require cooperation between all stakeholders across the global coffee value chain. Sustainable coffee cultivation involves a holistic approach that takes environmental, economic and social aspects into account. This includes protecting soil, water resources and forests, as well as fair working conditions and economic stability for coffee farmers. In addition, there are research efforts to breed more resilient coffee trees and develop sustainable pesticides and biostimulants that help plants cope better with so-called abiotic stress. But the question remains whether the growing demand for coffee can be met – especially as traditional tea-drinking countries are consuming more and more coffee. Alternative options are also needed.

This is where the research of Chahan Yeretzian from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Wädenswil comes in. He says: ‘What we produce in the laboratory is already very close to natural coffee in terms of taste, but I'm not entirely satisfied yet,’ he says in an article in the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. There is still a little too much bitterness, a little too little acidity and too much astringency, i.e. a furry feeling on the tongue. But they are already very close to the taste experience of traditional coffee. And all this without resorting to a single coffee bean. The product Yeretzian is researching at the ZHAW was developed entirely in the laboratory, in a bioreactor. Without being disturbed by freak weather conditions, the raw material matures in stainless steel tanks, as is familiar from beer brewing.

To achieve this, scientists cultivate specific plant cells in nutrient solutions in order to produce specific flavourings for the typical coffee taste. By controlling growth conditions and adding special substances, the production of desired ingredients and flavours is optimised. For example, they add substances that trigger defence mechanisms similar to those a plant would use against pest infestation. This process, known as ‘elicitation,’ increases the caffeine content that the plant produces in its leaves as a natural insecticide. After drying and roasting the cell mass, a powder is produced that can be brewed and tested like conventional coffee.

Who should drink lab-grown coffee?

Yeretzian estimates that coffee produced in this way will be available at current coffee prices in four years. The first products could be on the market in two years, provided they are approved by the authorities. Products from bioreactors are still subject to strict regulations. The numerous institutes and start-ups working on laboratory-grown coffee seem to confirm Yeretzian's vision that technical and taste-related hurdles will soon be overcome.

The bigger challenge, of course, is how consumers will respond to coffee from a reactor. After all, this is a so-called ‘highly processed food’, and these are often disparaged. Initial figures are available from Scandinavia: according to surveys, young, tech-savvy people can well imagine consuming Coffee 2.0. But of course, the step from ‘being able to imagine’ to becoming a regular consumer is a pretty big one. And yet there could be a market for artificial coffee. With the rising prices of coffee beans, there could be a gap for mass consumption. There is likely to be demand for inexpensive or standardised coffee, especially in emerging economies or countries with a preference for coffee blends that are exotic from a European perspective. Just like other products, such as dairy products, which are produced using precision fermentation.

We could soon have real alternatives to the classic coffee bean in our cups. Coffee aficionados will continue to swear by the original – with all its nuances and traditions. But for some, coffee from the laboratory could become the new standard.