binarypublishTLDR:
– French startup Amatera is developing climate-smart perennial crops, including coffee beans, without using GMO techniques.
– The company has an accelerated plant breeding platform that speeds up natural variances and evolution in a lab, without directly manipulating genes.
– Amatera aims to have all its development at a cellular level done by the end of 2024 and expects to start producing the beans in the field by 2027.
Rising global temperatures have had a negative impact on the production of coffee beans, but a French startup focused on developing climate-smart perennial crops is looking to solve that problem. Amatera, cofounded by CEO Omar Dekkiche and CTO Dr. Lucie Kriegshauser, has received an investment from a food and beverage company to explore the future of coffee.
Amatera has two plant breeding programs: “Robustica,” a variety of Robusta without the bitterness, and a naturally caffeine-free Arabica variety. Both programs rely on plant cell culture, which is the method of growing plant cells in vitro in culture as opposed to growing mature plants in water or soil. The non-GMO breeding platform induces spontaneous genetic variation using physical and chemical approaches without relying on gene editing.
The company aims to develop its crops at a cellular level by the end of 2024 and expects to start producing coffee beans in the field by 2027. Amatera believes its new varieties will have the same yields and performance required to be successful in the coffee industry.
The technology Amatera is using has the potential to develop more climate-resilient crops and go to market more quickly than traditional breeding methods. The startup’s approach is based on accelerating the plant’s natural evolution at the cellular level, offering an alternative non-GMO route to genome editing. The technology can be applied to other crops such as cacao, bananas, grapes, and pharmaceutical plants.
The use of GMO technology to combat climate-related concerns has been successful, but many consumers prefer non-GMO labeling. Amatera’s approach could be lucrative in meeting this consumer preference.
Overall, Amatera’s development of climate-smart coffee beans without GMO techniques shows promise in addressing the negative impact of rising global temperatures on coffee production. The company’s accelerated plant breeding platform has potential applications in developing more climate-resilient crops and offers an alternative non-GMO route to genome editing. While the development of Amatera’s new varieties will take time, the company is confident in the success of its crops in the coffee industry.
