Microbial genomics of naturally processed coffee

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This Engage project, "CHERRY", will give Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters in Calgary (P&S) the opportunity to investigate the microbial processes that occur during processing of coffee. Microbial genomics, next generation DNA sequencing and related expertise are available within the Geomicrobiology Group at the University of Calgary. CHERRY will facilitate this new partnership with the specific goal to characterize microbial communities active in the mucilage of coffee fruit during Natural Processing. Better understanding of this process will (1) help to prevent spoilage and economic losses for P&S, and (2) open doors for flavor enhancement and experimentation towards improving a product consumed by millions of Canadians every day. This will be achieved by developing an approach for microbiological evaluation of Natural Processing of fresh coffee cherries under controlled laboratory conditions at the University of Calgary. CHERRY thus offers an exciting opportunity to investigate an understudied eukaryote-prokaryote biological model for genomics research while simultaneously helping P&S grow their business by developing new process controls that will enable the company to introduce superior Naturally Processed coffees to the Canadian market. Despite coffee being the world's largest agricultural commodity (Vaughan et al. 2015), a growing movement within the industry is evolving towards brewing specialty artisanal beverages. Success for roasters like P&S is defined by product differentiation, motivating P&S to push the boundaries of coffee as a specialty product and introduce clientele to new taste experiences. The premise of CHERRY is that microbial activity inherent in coffee exocarp gives Natural Processing the greatest potential for unique and complex flavor development by allowing the seed to retain the taste character of the coffee fruit. Once proper controls for Natural Processing are understood and defined, the final product will have a chance to realize its potential as a bright, fruit, floral and clean cup of coffee with an exceptional mouth feel. Developing this process and product will differentiate P&S from other roasters.