New coffee center in Northern California aims to give a jolt to research and education

By HAVEN DALEY and SOPHIE AUSTIN
Associated Press/Report for America

DAVIS, Calif. (AP) — A university in Northern California has launched a specialized center devoted to coffee education and research. The Coffee Center at the University of California, Davis, is focused on research aimed at supporting farmers, examining the sustainability of coffee and evaluating food safety issues. The center launched in May. The group’s director wants to make coffee more of a priority of academic research. The center joins some other universities that conduct research on coffee. One professor who has studied coffee at Vanderbilt University says the UC Davis Center is unique because it brings together so many different aspects of coffee research, including agriculture and chemistry.