STiR coffee and tea magazine

14 STiR coffee and tea / Issue 3, 2017 (June/July) Q A NEWS D By Dan Bolton Price Peterson uring a panel discussion on a global conserva- tion strategy for coffee at the Global Specialty Coffee Expo in Seattle, Price Peterson, owner of the fabled Hacienda La Esmeralda farm in Panama, discussed his vision of how the newly completed map of the coffee genome can be applied to resolving some of the more formidable challenges facing the coffee industry. Peterson began farming in Panama in 1998, a time when the coffee grown there was not consid- ered exceptional. In those days even the best coffees earned only $1.20 a pound. That year he purchased the 125-hectare Esmeralda Jaramillo farm which was part of the larger Las Esmeralda estate. A portion of the estate was planted in Geisha, a varietal originating in southwestern Ethiopia, near the town of Gesha. Peterson said it was his good fortune that the neighboring Don Pachi Estate had brought the Geisha varietal from Costa Rica to Panama in 1963. Peterson liked the look of the unusual varietal and its resistance to fungi and decided to replant the rest of his farm in Geisha. The first harvest in 2003 revealed an unusual bouquet of sparkling flavors from berry and citrus to peach, pineapple, guava, and Jasmine. In 2004 a small lot was entered in the Best of Panama competition. The coffee sold for an astounding $21 per pound and remains one of the most prized coffees in the world. It sells for more than $100 a pound today.* Coffee's Best Chance Against Climate Change *How good is Esmeralda Geisha? It won SCAA Roasters Guild Cupping Pavilion top honors in (2005, 2006, 2007), 1st place in the Best of Panama Auction (2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2013), and 1st Rainforest Alliance Cupping for Quality (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013). These are only a few of the awards and accolades awarded to the Petersons for their dedication to quality. STiR: Learning how the genome is constructed is a start, but much work remains to be done. Describe for our readers the underlying challenge. Price Peterson: The fundamental problem with arabica coffee is its lack of genetic diversity. Twenty years ago Francois Anthony wrote "molec- ular analysis show that genetic diversity in the species C. arabica is very low. The transfer of new potential improvements from diploid species thus becomes inevitable for programs of improve- ment." (los analisis moleculares muestran que la diversidad genetica el el seno de la especie C. arabica es baja. La transferencia de nuevas potencialidades a partir de las especies diploides aparece entonces como una via inevitable para los programas de mejoramiento."). His solution to improvement of the species was, and is, to go to diploid species of the genus Cafea, of which there are many, and look for the

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