The future of coffee: Lab-grown beans and greener brews

Do you love your morning cup of coffee? You’re not alone. People around the world drink about two billion cups every day.¹ Coffee is more than just a drink. It's a big part of our routine, a reason to meet friends, and (for some) a crucial start to the day. But this beloved beverage is facing some big challenges, mainly because of climate change.

Coffee plants are very particular about where they grow. They only thrive in certain tropical and subtropical climates and prefer high altitudes.² Unfortunately, rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and new plant diseases are threatening these special growing areas. Experts predict that by 2050, up to half of the land currently used for coffee could become unsuitable for growing beans.³

If the world loses that much coffee land, and demand keeps growing, what will we drink? In this article, we’ll explore the future of coffee, including lab-grown beans and creative alternatives like coffee made from roasted prune pits. These clever ideas could help keep your morning coffee on the table for years to come.

A history of clever substitutes

Humans have always found creative ways to adapt when our favourite things run short. If you look back in history, times of war or difficulty often meant coffee supplies dried up. To keep the coffee ritual going, people turned to substitutes. In the late 18th century, chicory coffee became a popular substitute in Europe.⁴  This surge in popularity occurred when Frederick the Great prohibited coffee import into Germany.⁴ Chicory root itself does not provide caffeine. Instead, it was used to mimic the flavour of coffee. Although you might think chicory coffee is a thing of the past, innovators are using this idea and similar ingredients to find fresh ways to adapt once again.

Your future morning brew

Today, scientists and food experts are inventing new ways to keep coffee flowing, focusing on blends that are better for the planet and sometimes even healthier for you. Companies are trying to create drinks that provide a similar “caffeine kick” as coffee, but are much more sustainable. One idea scientists are testing is mixing regular coffee with other ingredients.

Mushroom coffee

Imagine adding mushrooms to your coffee! While it may sound strange, mushroom coffee is gaining popularity. Don't worry, you won’t find floating pieces of fungi in your mug. Instead, manufacturers mix regular coffee with extracts from special, medicinal mushrooms like lion’s mane, reishi, chaga, and cordyceps.⁵ 

Why mushrooms, you might ask? Well, mushrooms have an earthy, nutty and slightly bitter flavour that blends well with coffee. These types of mushrooms have also been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic practices, so they may also have some health benefits. These special varieties of mushrooms contain natural substances called adaptogens, which are thought to help your body handle stress.⁶ So, while a regular cup of coffee may give you a quick energy boost, adaptogens in mushroom coffee could help your adrenal system, which regulates your stress response.⁷  

Another big perk of mushroom-blended coffee is that it has much less caffeine than a regular cup. This might be helpful if you love the flavour of coffee but get anxious or jittery from too much caffeine.⁸ Most people say mushroom coffee tastes similar to a normal cup, maybe just a little nuttier or more earthy. 

But, there is still very little research about the health benefits of mushroom coffee, and most products only contain a small amount of extract, so it’s still unclear whether mushroom coffee is actually good for you.⁸ And mushroom coffee may not be good for those with digestive problems, so it’s worth talking to your doctor before drinking lots of mushroom coffee.⁸

Mushroom coffee remains a niche trend in Europe, mostly available online or in small boutique cafes. Still, its popularity is growing as more people seek more sustainable alternatives to traditional coffee. It’s early days for mushroom coffee, but the future is promising. And if mushrooms in your mug sound wild, wait until you hear what’s happening in the lab.

Growing coffee in a lab

Another amazing innovation is lab-grown coffee. This sounds like science fiction, but it is real! Lab-grown coffee is created using something called cellular agriculture.⁹ Scientists take cells from a coffee leaf and grow them in a large, controlled environment called a bioreactor. The cells multiply until they form a substance that can be dried, ground into a powder, and roasted, just like regular coffee beans. This product is made from native coffee cells, meaning it’s 100% coffee material.^{10 11}

Experts in Finland have already shown that this process works.¹² When tasted by professionals, the lab-grown brew had similar levels of bitterness and sourness to traditional coffee. While it’s still being perfected (some tasters noted a smoky and more roasted/burned sugar aroma), it is recognisable as coffee.¹³

This method is also super speedy. Scientists at Coffeesai say they’ve found a way to grow the same amount of coffee that 1,000 trees would make in just three weeks. Normally, it would take three to five years for new coffee trees to grow and start making beans.² And while a coffee tree gives only one or two harvests per year, a new batch of lab-grown coffee can be made in about a month.¹¹

Plus, it uses far less water and cuts down on pollution because it can be produced locally, without huge farms or complicated worldwide shipping. 

Lab-grown coffee is still in development stages and not yet available in stores, but this high-tech brew will be available one day, helping to ensure that everyone can still enjoy coffee in the future.¹⁴

Want to discover more foods of the future? From algae oils to insect protein, discover more exciting flavours and surprising new foods here.

While lab-grown coffee focuses on replicating real coffee from cells, other innovators are taking a completely different approach: creating coffee-like drinks using surprising ingredients.

Molecular coffee 

Instead of growing the coffee cell-by-cell, some companies are trying to rebuild coffee’s taste and aroma using other ingredients. Molecular coffee is called this because it is built molecule by molecule. Scientists try to figure out the exact chemicals that make coffee taste, smell, and feel the way it does. Then, they find those same chemicals in other plant foods, such as carob, chicory, chickpea, rice shells, and even date seeds.¹⁵  They use special processing to turn the plants' existing compounds into the same compounds found in coffee. By doing this, they can make a coffee experience without ever using a traditional coffee bean. 

Companies are creating coffee substitutes using a variety of plant ingredients, such as date seeds that would otherwise be food waste. These hard date pits are ground up and marinated with other things before being brewed and roasted.^{12 16} This creative, sustainable approach not only reduces food waste but also shows how technology can preserve our favourite rituals. Even if coffee farms struggle, our morning cup could live on in new forms.

Sustainability: why these innovations matter

These new methods aren’t just cool science; they’re vital for protecting our planet. Inventive ideas are needed because the world’s appetite for coffee is growing. Consumption is rapidly rising in countries that traditionally drank tea, such as China and India.⁶ Global demand is expected to double or triple by 2050.¹⁷

Since farms are already struggling to meet today’s demand, and climate change is shrinking the growing land, new solutions are needed to fill the huge supply gap and prevent more harm to the planet. Here are some ways that traditional coffee production is really tough on the environment:

• Deforestation. Companies need more land to plant coffee trees, which causes people to cut down existing native forests to make space for the new coffee farms. This process leads to the loss of natural habitats, meaning that wild forests shrink while coffee plantations grow. Coffee cultivation is the sixth-largest cause of deforestation globally.¹² 
• Water use. Coffee requires massive amounts of water to grow the plants, wash the beans, and process the final product. It takes about 140 litres of water to make just one cup.¹⁰

Changing tastes and preferences

Will we all be drinking lab-grown lattes soon? Maybe not entirely. Coffee is tied to our love of traditions, and some of the new versions are still missing that familiar, delicious aroma and flavour.

But some of us are ready to change. The younger generation (especially those we call Gen Z) is open to new ideas and trends. Up to 48% of Gen Z consumers say they would try beanless coffee if it were cheaper and greener.¹⁸ 

For most consumers, the future will likely be a blend with a mix of lab-grown and traditional coffee beans to keep prices stable and supply secure.²

Fascinated by how coffee evolved into a dessert‑in‑a‑cup? Discover how our tastes are shifting and what it means for our health here.

Keeping the coffee ritual alive

The challenges facing coffee (from climate change to supply worries) are serious, but the solutions are exciting. Scientists are using chemistry, biology, and clever use of food waste to remake our favourite drink.

Just as our ancestors turned to chicory when real beans were scarce, today’s innovations are helping us adapt to a changing world. By being open to new tastes and technologies (such as mushroom coffee or lab-grown coffee), we can ensure that coffee remains a sustainable, affordable, and potentially healthier part of our daily lives for generations to come.