The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa will host and lead the new (CCIL), a United States (U.S.) Department of State (DOS) program designed to safeguard supply chains and boost local and global production. Clemson University in South Carolina will co-lead the program.
The award is for up to five years, with an initial obligation of $8 million for the first year funded through an agreement with the DOS.
“The Innovation Lab is designed to transform coffee and cacao science into practical benefits for small farmers in Hawaiʻi, the continental U.S., and around the world,” said Parwinder Grewal, dean and director of the 糖心视频 Mānoa and principal investigator of the CCIL. “Hawaiʻi is a fitting living laboratory for this program as the only state in the nation that grows both coffee and cacao commercially. Innovations developed and tested here will support Hawaiʻi farmers and scale to protect our global supply chains.”
Closing a major vulnerability in global supply chains
Coffee and cacao are significant economic drivers—coffee contributes $343.2 billion a year to the U.S. economy, supporting 2.2 million jobs, while chocolate generates $28.4 billion and supports 700,000 jobs. However, with over 99% of U.S. coffee and cacao imported from overseas, the supply chains are highly vulnerable to climate shocks, crop diseases and pests, and overseas trade disruptions.
CCIL will develop heat-, disease-, and drought-resistant crop varieties to combat these threats and secure reliable global supplies. The program will also enhance post-harvest processing and farm management techniques for thousands of smallholder farmers in Hawaiʻi and internationally in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
“This is great news for our small local coffee and cacao farms and showcases 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈’蝉 global leadership in agricultural research. This new federal funding will give local farmers more tools to fight threats like drought and invasive pests and help boost production of 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈’蝉 world-class coffee and chocolate,” said Sen. Brian Schatz, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Research across the coffee and cacao value chain
A more resilient global supply, enabled by CCIL research, will strengthen U.S. security, economic, and trade interests while reinforcing America’s leadership in coffee and cacao research and production.
“By leveraging the U.S. land-grant system and working with a world-class group of research institutions and industry partners, the CCIL will connect innovative research to farms and supply chains. This will boost productivity and profitability for small farmers, improve processing technologies, and ensure quality products for U.S. consumers,” said Congressional Coffee Caucus Co-Chairs 贬补飞补颈ʻ颈’蝉 U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda and U.S. Rep. William Timmons (South Carolina).
Investing in farmers and research
“Coffee and chocolate are two of the joys in life. I am excited for the benefits this funding brings to American growers and consumers.” Suzanne Shriner, a coffee farmer and the Administrator for the Synergistic Hawaii Agriculture Council. “Ensuring we can all continue to enjoy these foods means investing in the farmers, research, and practices that keep them thriving. This grant helps secure a strong future for cacao and coffee grown right here in the United States, from the farm to cup and bar.”
The lab brings together major research and industry organizations, including Michigan State University; The Ohio State University; Penn State; the University of California, Davis; Coffee Quality Institute; Mars, Incorporated; PlantVillage+; Synergistic Hawaiʻi Agriculture Council; and World Coffee Research.