Cropping
giant started sourcing for robusta beans from South Sudan.
This was the first time in the nation's history and marked
her first non-oil export.
Pests, diseases and civil war hurt Robusta coffee
production
In the 1990s and early 2000s, robusta production was
ravaged by pests, diseases and civil war in major producing
nations. These were Uganda, South Sudan, Congo and
Ivory Coast.
The devastation in Uganda
Towards the end of 2001, about 50 percent of robusta
coffee in Uganda had been wiped out by Coffee Wilt Disease
(CWD), a fungal infection. It started in 1993 and destroyed
more than 12 million trees in the central and western
regions of the East African nation.
Robusta coffee ripe & ready for harvest
It's considered inferior to Arabica beans
Robusta is mainly used to blends and in instant coffee
because it is widely considered to have a lower quality in
taste to Arabica.
It has more caffeine than Arabica
Robusta has higher concentrations of caffeine than Arabica,
a stimulant found in coffee. It is also highly acidic.
It used to grow naturally
Before it discovery, Robusta coffee trees used to grow
naturally in the equatorial forests of Ethiopia, South Sudan,
Uganda, Congo and West Africa regions.