Contested Coffees: Arabica, Robusta, and the Narrative of High-Quality Coffee in Mexico

This paper analyses a political debate that has emerged in Mexico regarding cultivation of two coffee species: arabica, which generates high quality coffee, and robusta, which generates high yields, but is of lower quality than arabica. Many actors in Mexico, including state agencies, coffee farmer organisations, and scholars, consider improving the quality of arabica to be an ideal development pathway for small farmers. However, despite strong support for arabica coffee, production of robusta for Nestlé instant coffee has recently increased. In this paper, we discuss strategies and narratives by the state, arabica farmer organisations, robusta farmers, and Nestlé regarding production of arabica and robusta. In addition to analysing the political activity of farmer organisations and state actors who prioritise arabica coffee, we explore the reasons why some farmers have shifted from arabica to robusta cultivation, despite the high-quality narrative of the former species. We relate our analysis to global value chain studies and the notions of ‘upgrading’ and ‘downgrading’. We argue that to better understand the implications of ‘upgrading and ‘downgrading’ it is crucial to address not only the technical characteristics of particular coffee species, but also to understand the politics revolving around each species.