According to research conduced by coffeereview.com writer, Miguel Meza, the 762 in USDA 762’s name comes from its USDA plant introduction number – 230762. Between the years of 1954 and 1956, a French agronomist (and celebrated coffee researcher) named JBH Lejeune was sent by the FAO to collect specimens of wild coffee. The USDA apparently received seeds from many of these expeditions and gave them to various germplasm collections around the world.
Lejeune collected an Ethiopian line from Mizan Tafari (near where Geisha was originally collected) that was introduced to the USDA as, you guessed it, 230762. The variety displayed some rust resistance and, as such, was introduced to Indonesia as a potential genetic source for rust resistance.
The variety is not widespread. In fact, Mercanta has only seen it as a component of one coffee from Wahana Estate.
See Miguel Meza’s original article here.
