New varieties set Australian coffee industry up for expansion

Australians are becoming more interested in locally grown and roasted coffee. (ABC Rural: Sophie Johnson)

Researchers and growers believe there is significant room for the domestic coffee industry to grow.

Four coffee varieties have been found to be well-suited to Australian conditions.

Coffee growers are scaling up production while other regions are exploring coffee as an alternative crop.

Australians are among the world's biggest coffee drinkers but less than 1 per cent of the coffee consumed nationwide is grown locally.

As harvest gets underway on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland, researchers and growers believe there is significant room for the domestic coffee industry to grow.

Conditions are ripe for Australia's coffee industry to grow significantly. (ABC Rural: Sophie Johnson)

Rising consumer demand, improved production methods and trials of new coffee varieties are fuelling optimism Australia could produce a greater share of its own beans.

Tobias Kretzschmar expects the Australian coffee industry to expand. (ABC News: Michael Nudl)

Southern Cross University professor for plant breeding and genetics Tobias Kretzschmar has spent years trialling different coffee varieties to identify those best suited to Australian conditions.

Australians enjoy their coffee in a variety of different ways. (ABC Rural: Sophie Johnson)

"We're never going to be mainstream so we can't ever meet the total demand of Australian coffee even if we ramped up with maximum potential," he said.

Professor Kretzschmar's research has identified four promising varieties of coffee, with growers now beginning to scale up production on commercial farms.

The harvest is in full swing on coffee plantations in Far North Queensland. (ABC Rural: Sophie Johnson)

While Australia's coffee industry is concentrated in Far North Queensland and northern New South Wales, Professor Kretzschmar said new regions were showing potential.

"We're now going to test whether or not we can grow coffee in Western Australia but also expand production areas in the established regions," he said.

He said interest was also growing among producers looking to diversify, particularly avocado growers.

Australia could soon be growing a greater share of its own coffee beans for local consumption. (ABC Rural: Sophie Johnson)

"One of the key drivers we're realising is there's been an overproduction of avocados in Australia," he said.

"There's too many avocado farmers that are looking to diversify.

"Traditionally, if you can grow an avocado, it's pretty much the right climate and soil to be g