The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) has launched The Coffee Center, the first academic facility in the United States dedicated solely to the study of coffee.
Situated within the UC Davis College of Engineering, the 7,000-square-foot interdisciplinary center boasts experimental green bean storage, brewing laboratories, sensory and cupping labs, a chemical and analytical section, and a pilot roastery.
According to a UC Davis press release, the center will employ “a multidisciplinary, holistic approach to coffee science” to educate students from its engineering, food science, and agricultural economics programs.
Bill Ristenpart, the Founding Director of The Coffee Center, emphasized the center’s goal to “create an academic talent pipeline to serve the coffee industry.
This initiative marks the latest advancement in UC Davis’ longstanding relationship with the coffee industry. This relationship began with an undergraduate course, The Design of Coffee, in 2013 and expanded with the establishment of The Coffee Lab in 2015.
“What began as a first-year seminar and a unique way to teach chemical engineering has evolved into a dynamic environment for advancing coffee science research, teaching, and mentorship,” said Richard Corsi, Dean of Engineering at UC Davis.
The opening ceremony for The Coffee Center featured coffee bean roasting and espresso brewing demonstrations and drew over 200 attendees, including representatives from Peet’s Coffee, which funded the roastery.
Other notable supporters of The Coffee Center include California micro-roaster Bridge Coffee Company, software firm Cropster, Louisiana-based Folgers, Italian espresso machine maker La Marzocco, German coffee roaster manufacturer Probat, and The Specialty Coffee Association.