Coffee is the second largest traded commodity right after crude oil, and the most consumed beverage, after water. International Coffee Day promotes fair trade coffee and raises awareness about the plight of the coffee growers. There are about 25 million small producers who use coffee as their main source of income. Fairtrade was set up to ensure coffee farmers receive a fair and stable price for their coffee that covers average costs of sustainable production.
It is said coffee discovered a goat herder in Ethiopia after observing strange behaviour in his goats. He noticed that after they ate coffee, they suddenly had a lot of energy and were unable to sleep at night. There are two types of coffee beans – Arabica and Robusta. The global coffee market is worth nearly $500bn.
FUN FACTS
The largest cup of coffee ever made contained a whopping 22,739.14 litres and was recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.
In 1932, Brazil could not afford to send its athletes to Los Angeles for the Olympics. As a solution, the government placed them on a ship full of coffee which was sold to finance their trip.
Farmers earn less than $1 per pound of coffee grown.
The coffee plant requires specific conditions for its growth and the climate is changing faster than the plant's ability to adapt. Higher temperatures and devastating rains lead to reduced production. Coffee is grown in more than 70 countries but nearly 70 per cent of the world’s coffee is produced by just four of them – Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia. According to a recent study, the area suitable for growing Arabica coffee in Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam and Colombia will decrease by approximately half by 2050.
Sources: ico.org, esquirescoffee.co.uk, fairtrade.org.uk
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