Future-Proof Coffee: Unlocking Canephora’s Potential – with Pieke Abelman

5 November 2026 | 3pm – 4pm GMT | Online

Canephora, often known as Robusta, has long been viewed through the lens of lower quality and lower cost. But could a fresh approach to quality, roasting and brewing reveal new opportunities for the coffee industry?

In this GCI guest lecture, Pieke Abelman explores Canephora’s commercial, sustainability and quality potential, the challenges holding it back, and the work underway to help the bean realise its commercial potential.

What to expect:

• The commercial, sustainability and quality opportunities Canephora presents to the coffee industry
• The industry perceptions, standards and practices that continue to shape Canephora’s reputation
• The physical differences between Arabica and Canephora, and why they matter
• Progress in Canephora flavour profiling and roasting techniques
• An inside look at BaristaCollege’s work to develop an espresso brewing standard for 100% Canephora, followed by a Q&A

Guest speaker

Pieke Abelman is founder of BaristaCollege and an SCA-certified coffee trainer with over 20 years of experience across coffee and hospitality, including multi-site leadership. A coffee sustainability specialist Abelman has also researched EUDR impacts among smallholder farmers in Uganda. Through The Canephora Project, he is developing an espresso standard for 100% Canephora.