Feature

Could coffee grown in the continental US and Australia soon be on the menu?

Coffee is now being grown in areas once considered unsuitable for commercial production. But can these new origins develop into scalable industries, or will they remain niche producers of high-quality specialty crops? Deniz Karaman finds out

2 May 2025

8 min read

Mechanical coffee tree harvesting at Zentfeld’s coffee farm and roastery in Byron Bay, Australia | Photo credit: Rebecca Zentfeld

In the sub-tropical hills of Australia and the sun-drenched farms of California, coffee is now being grown in areas once considered unsuitable for commercial production. But can these new origins develop into scalable industries, or will they remain niche markets serving small yields of high-quality specialty crops? Deniz Karaman finds out