Top Coffee Producing Countries - WorldAtlas.com Economics Top Coffee Producing Countries The top coffee producers on the planet. The 10 nations who produce and export the most coffee per year. A map of the world made up of coffee beans With a café on nearly every corner in countless cities around the globe, it comes as no surprise that coffee is one of the top commodities worldwide. As the global third most consumed beverage, after water and tea, coffee beans are in high demand everywhere. The top producing nations each produce millions of kilograms of coffee beans that find their way into the hands of eager consumers. Second only to oil, coffee is the world's second most traded commodity , with about half a trillion cups drank per year. Not only used for brewing a cup of joe, the coffee bean (through decaffeination) provides caffeine for beverages (cola), pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Despite the different flavours there are two main commercially grown beans Arabica which accounts for 70% of coffee and the Robusta bean which is far cheaper and easier to grow.

These are the ten nations that the International Coffee Organization named the world's top producers of coffee: 10 – Guatemala 224,871 US tons Guatemalan Coffee Workers Empty Beans for Sorting Guatemala produced 204,000,000 kilograms of coffee beans in 2015, and their production numbers have remained fairly consistent over the past few years. Coffee beans are most abundant in Guatemala in years where the temperature hovers between 16 and 32°C, and at altitudes between 500 and 5,000 metres above sea level. Guatemala was Central America's top producers till it was overtaken by Honduras in 2011. Guatemala came into the coffee game predominantly to find an export to replace indigo and cochineal, two of their early exports that were rendered useless once chemical dyes were invented in the 1800s. At the time, the government began a policy of support for the industry by offering trade and tax benefits.

In the 1960's the government further pushed for greater global demand for Guatemalan coffee through the establishment of Anacafé (Asociación Nacional del Café), a marketing association which, to this day, continues to promote the nation's coffee products worldwide. 9 – Mexico 257,940 US tons Ancient Pyramids in Mexico In 2015, Mexico produced over 234,000,000 kilograms of coffee beans. The nation predominantly produces high quality Arabica beans grown in the coastal regions near the border of Guatemala and is responsible for majority of U.S. coffee imports. In the 1990s there was a crisis in Mexico's coffee production, as the International Coffee Agreement was dismantled and worldwide coffee prices and export quotas were no longer strictly controlled, leading to an inability for Mexico to compete in the global market. This decline in coffee prices and production led to lost income and social issues throughout the nation of Mexico.

While coffee production declined over the 90s and into the 2000s, steady demand from the United States has led to a recovery in the Mexican coffee market, from an all time low of 1.7 million bags (60 kg) in 2005, to 4.0 million in 2014. 8 – Uganda 314,489 US tons The Ugandan Virunga Mountains While Uganda may not come to mind when you think of coffee production, at 285,300,000 kilograms produced in 2015, it is the Central African nation's top-earning export. It has moved past Mexico in 2015 to become the 8th largest producer of coffee. The nation grows both Robusta beans – a crop native to the Kibale forest area – as well as Arabica beans from nearby Ethiopia. Coffee is a vital part of the Ugandan economy, with a large portion of the population working in coffee related industries.

Coffee production was initially a reasonably unsuccessful state-controlled sector, however, after government privatization in 1991, a strong revival of the sector was seen, leading to a 5100% increase in production since 1989. However, the government does still exert control on the industry, with flow out of the country controlled by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority. 7 – Honduras 380,296 US tons Green and Red Coffee Berries on Tree, Honduras Honduras produced 345,000,000 kilograms of coffee in 2015, almost matching its peak crop from 2011's crop of 354,180 kilos. It has since 2011 become Central America's top coffee producer. They still face problems attributed to a lack of national branding – while most people recognize Colombian or Ethiopian coffee, beans from Honduras are mainly used in blends and are therefore less recognizable to the average consumer.

However, coffee remains a vital part of the Honduran economy; it is the largest producer in Central America, the coffee industry continually provides employment and revenue for a large part of the population, and it likely kept the nation's economy afloat during the 2009 political crisis and coup d'état. 6 – India 385,786 US tons Cup of Coffee with Cinnamon, Sugar, and Raw Beans - Thinkstock.com While India may not be the first nation that comes to mind when it comes to coffee production, they produced 349,980,000 kilograms of beans in 2015. Not just any region of the diverse nation is suited for coffee production, the majority of growing is done in the hilly tracts of South Indian states. The beans are grown by small growers in monsoon rainfall conditions, and often planted alongside spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, which gives the coffee a spicy taste and aroma. In 2004, Indian Coffee brand Tata won 3 gold medals at the Grand Cus De Cafe Competition.

As might be expected, coffee isn't the most popular beverage in the country of 1.25 billion people, this title goes to tea. As such, 80% of India's coffee production is bound for export purposes, with the main buyers being Europe and Russia. 5 – Ethiopia 423,287 US tons Coffee Roasted in the Traditional Ethiopian Manner Ethiopia produces large volumes of coffee beans every year, with 384,000,000 kilograms in 2015 alone. Ethiopia is the geographic home of Arabica coffee, the most popular beans worldwide. It is no small part of their economy – over 28% of Ethiopia's yearly exports are a result of coffee – and it is estimated that 15 million citizens are employed in coffee production. Ethiopia has a very rich coffee culture. For over 1100 years, beans with a stimulating effect have been noted in the nation by unlucky farmers and shepherds whose herds happened to eat them. Since domestication of the plant and the beginning of farming the coffee bean, regional variants of the Arabica bean have been developed, each with their own characteristic name and taste.

The Harar, Limu, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe beans are all trademarked varieties of the Arabica bean, with the rights owned and protected by the government of Ethiopia. 4 – Indonesia 814,629 US tons Palm Civets are Producers of the World's Most Expensive Coffee Though they may not be as internationally known as a top producer, the nation of Indonesia produced over 660,000,000 kilograms of coffee beans in 2015. Indonesia has opted for a quantity over quality method, as the climate is better suited for the production of lower-quality Robusta beans (less valued than the Arabica beans that come from nations like Brazil and Colombia) but it has an ideal geographical location for coffee plantation, as it is near the equator and has numerous mountainous regions that are well suited for coffee production. Coffee production was introduced to Indonesia by Dutch colonists and production continued on after colonization as Indonesia's climate is well suited for the plant. Coffee plantations currently cover over 1 million hectares of Indonesia's territory, with over 90% of the cropland being worked by small-scale producers.

One high quality coffee that Indonesia is famous for is Kopi Luwak, an expensive bean that has a unique production method. The palm civit, a cat like animal which lives in the jungles of South East Asia, eats the raw coffee berries yet cannot process the hard beans on the inside of the berry. The digestive juices of the civit partially break down the bean, and upon defecation the "deposits" are collected, cleaned, and sold as Kopi Luwak beans. Think that's weird? Because only 500kg of the "Cat Poop Coffee" is produced per year, a cup of coffee brewed from these beans can sell for up to $80. 3 – Colombia 892,871 US tons Coffee Fields in the Colombian Andes Mountains Colombian coffee is famous worldwide, perhaps partially due to the well-known advertisements for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia which featured a character named Juan Valdez. However, climate has recently been playing a negative role in Colombian coffee production. Between 1980 and 2010, temperatures have slowly risen, as has precipitation, both factors that jeopardize the climate requirements necessary to produce the type of bean favored in Colombia.

It was traditionally second to Brazil for coffee production but has moved to third due the rapidly expanding production of Vietnam. Even with the effect of climate, it has an output of 810,000,000 kilograms of coffee beans in 2015, Colombia remains a key player in the international coffee game. 2 – Vietnam 1,818,811 US tons Traditional Vietnamese Coffee - Thinkstock.com While many are familiar with Vietnamese coffee, a signature drink where the coffee is mixed with sweetened condensed milk, Vietnam is the second largest coffee producing nation in the world – 1,650,000,000 kilograms in 2015 alone. While there was understandably a hiatus during and after the Vietnam war, coffee remained a huge part of the Vietnamese economy, with the only greater export rice being rice. Vietnam rapid expansion in coffee production which was only 6,000 tons in 1975 and now is almost 2 million has moved them to second place.

1 – Brazil 2,859,502 US tons Brazil Tops the Worlds Coffee Producers - Thinkstock.com While Brazil is perceived as the leading exporter of gorgeous models, they also are the undisputed largest coffee-producing nation in the world. In 2014, Brazil produced a staggering 2,594,100,000 kilograms of coffee beans. It is not a new development, as Brazil has been the highest global producer of coffee beans for over 150 years. Coffee plantations cover about 27,000 square kilometers of Brazil with the majority located in Minas Gerais, Sao Paulo, and Parana, three southeastern states where the climate and temperature are ideal for coffee production. Brazil also distinguishes itself from other coffee producing nations in that Brazilians process coffee with the dry process (unwashed coffee), where the coffee cherries are dried in the sun rather than washed in a wet process. Top Coffee Producing Countries Which country is the world’s top coffee producer? Privacy & Contact The world’s top coffee producer – there are a couple of contenders.

It all depends on how you define “top coffee producer” – the country that produces the most coffee, or the best coffee. The world’s largest producer of coffee is Brazil, and it has held that #1 position for a very long time. The #2 position is held by Vietnam. Does that make Brazil the world’s top coffee producer? That depends on how you look at it. Here is a list of the world’s 10 largest coffee-producing nations, measured in thousands of bags, according to the U.S. Departmet of Agriculture. TOTAL: 10) Togo 525 And now for the world’s top coffee producer in terms of taste... Once again, although there are dozens of wonderful coffees to try from many parts of the tropics, the top position goes to Colombia. Determining which country produces the top coffee by taste is always going to be subjective. We chose Colombia after looking at the work of Kenneth Davids, one of the world’s most respected coffee tasters or “cuppers”. On his site, CoffeeReview.com, he has a list of the top rated coffees he has tasted.

Although the number one spot usually goes to a Kenyan coffee, and the list changes over time, several of the top ten are often Colombian. Coffee Producing Countries Coffee Producing Countries Brazil Brazil grows roughly a third of the world's coffee. Much of the specialty from brazil is known by the name of the port through which it is shipped, Santos. Bourbon Santos and Brazil Cerrado are widely used as a base for quality espresso blends. Brazilian coffee is commonly dry-processed. Colombia Colombia typically produces about 1/10th, or more, of the worlds coffee. Colombia now ranks third after Vietnam and Brazil in production of coffee beans. The bulk of Colombian coffee, such as Colombian Supremo , is high quality and Colombia has marketed its product well via the character Juan Valdez. Colombian coffees are processed using the wet method. Colombian coffee is grown along three northern Andes mountain ranges which trisect Colombia from north to south. Colombian coffees are typically mild and balanced with good body and flavor. Costa Rica Costa Rica has excellent coffee growing conditions and certainly produces some of the best coffees in the world.

High grown coffees from the mountains of Costa Rica are typically bright, crisp, and clean with good body and a fruity acidity. Notable coffee growing regions include Tarrazu , Tres Rios, Herediï¿½, and Alajuela. Dominican Republic Dominican Republic has various microclimates that produce coffee beans with distinct physical and taste characteristics. The government of Dominican Republic established seven official coffee-growing regions: Barahona, Cibao, Neyba, Noroeste, Sierra Central, Sierra Occidental, and Sierra Sur. El Salvador Coffees from El Salvador have mostly been used for blending due to their sweetness, gentle acidity, and balance. Although El Salvador produces excellent coffees, political instability has prevented a consistent supply. Recently, El Salvador has been gaining in recognition for its premium single origin coffees. El Salvador shares a border with Honduras and Guatemala. Ethiopia Ethiopia is the birthplace of the Arabica tree, and wild coffee cherries are still harvested by tribes people in its mountains. In Eastern Ethiopia, coffee trees are grown at elevations between 5,000 and 6,000 feet on small plots and farms.

These coffees may be called Longberry Harrar (large bean), Shortberry Harrar (smaller bean) or Mocha Harrar (peaberry or single bean). They are all cultivated simply, processed by the traditional dry method, and are no doubt organic. Ethiopian Harrar is characterized by winy and blueberry undertones, with good body and acidity. Eastern Ethiopia produces a washed coffee called Ghimbi, or Gimbi, that has the winy undertones of Harrar, but can be richer, more balanced, and has a heavier body and longer finish. Southern Ethiopia produces washed coffees with fruity acidity and intense aromas. These coffees are known by the names of the districts in which they are produced, such as Sidamo, or by terms like Ethiopian Fancies or Ethiopian Estate Grown. The most famous of these coffees is Yirgacheffe, which has a pleasant fruity acidity and elegant body. Guatemala Some of the worlds finest specialty coffee is produced in the central Highlands of Guatemala. The most famous regional marketing names for Guatemala coffees are: Antigua , Coban, and Huehuetenango.

High quality Guatemalan coffees are produced using the wet-process method, and typically have spicy or chocolatey acidity and medium body. Guatemalan coffee is often marketed by grade, with the highest grade being strictly hard bean (SHB), which indicates coffees grown at 4,500 feet or above. A secondary grade is hard bean (HB), designating coffees grown between 4,000 and 4,500 feet. These designations reflect the fact that coffee beans grown at higher elevations tend to be denser and harder than coffee beans grown at lower elevations. Honduras Honduras shares a border with Guatemala and Nicaragua. The finest Honduran coffees are sweet, mild, and full bodied. India Coffees produced in India have more in common with Indonesian coffees than with coffees from Africa or the Arabian peninsula. Good Indian coffees are grown in the states of Karnatka (formerly Mysore), Kerala, and Tamilnadu (formerly Madras). In good years these coffees may contain acidity typical of Guatemalan coffee, and the full body of a good Javanese coffee.

These coffees are known for their unique spicy flavors of nutmeg, clove, cardamom, and pepper. India also produces monsoon coffees, in which the green beans have been exposed to moisture-laden monsoon winds blowing through open warehouses during India's rainy season. This process reduces acidity and enhances sweetness, making them similar to Indonesian aged coffees. Indonesia Indonesia is the world's fourth largest producer of coffee. However, a majority of the crop is Robusta, and the amount of quality beans available for the specialty coffee industry is limited. Even though they are a somewhat small percentage of total production, Arabica coffees from this region are considered some of the best in the world, and are prized for their richness, full body, long finish, earthiness and gentle acidity. Jamaica Jamaica is home to one of the world's most controversial coffees, Jamaican Blue Mountain. The best Blue Mountain coffee is characterized by a nutty aroma, bright acidity and a unique beef-bouillon like flavor. Jamaican High Mountain is a term that applies to coffees of lesser quality grown at a low altitudes compared to Jamaican Blue Mountain. Jamaica High Mountain and Jamaica Blue Mountain coffees are produced by the wet-process.

Kenya Kenya has a reputation for exporting high quality coffee beans. Most coffees in Kenya are cultivated on very small farms, and the growers are rewarded with high prices for high quality beans. The main growing region in Kenya extends from south of Mt. Kenya to near the capital of Nairobi. Coffee from Kenya is generally wet-processed and classified by bean size, with Grade AA signifying the largest beans, followed by grades A and B. Coffee from a single Kenya coffee estate, called Estate Kenya, can cost twice as much as regular Kenya AA. Estate Kenyas rank with the finest coffees in the world and are known for having tremendous body, astounding winy acidity and black-current flavor and aroma. Mexico Mexico produces large quantities of coffee often used for dark roasts and blending. The state of Vera Cruz produces mostly average coffees in its low laying regions, but in its mountains near the city of Coatepec a specialty coffee called Altura Coatepec is produced. These high grown, or altura, coffees tend to be light bodied and nutty, with a chocolatey brightness. Altura Orizaba and Altura Huatusco are other fine coffees produced in Vera Cruz.

The state of Oaxaca in the central mountains also produces very good coffees, referred to as either Mexico Oaxaca or Oaxaca Pluma. Chiapas, near the Guatemalan border, produces some impressive coffees as well. Coffees from Mexico are wet processed. Nicaragua Nicaragua is located in Central America and shares a border with Honduras and Costa Rica. Very fine specialty coffee is produced in the mountains of Nicaragua. The most famous regional marketing names are: Matagalpa, Jinotega, and Segovia. The highest quality Nicaragua coffees have rich flavor, mild fruity brightness, and full body. Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (PNG) Coffee is cultivated on small plantations in the mountain highlands, and is processed using the wet method. Two of New Guinea's most famous coffees are Sigri and Arona. PNG coffee is typically well-balanced with a fruity aroma and earthy body, and generally has less acidity, aroma, and body, than other fine Indonesian coffees. Peru Peru generally produces mild coffee used mostly for blending, French roasts, and as a base for flavored-coffee.

Good Peruvian coffee can be found high in the Andes in the Chanchamayo and Urubamba Valleys. Northern Peru has gained a reputation for producing good quality, certified organic coffees. Rwanda While a relatively small contributor to the world coffee market, Rwanda coffee is big business for it's nearly 500,000 coffee grower families. Rwanda produces some excellent coffees with qualities commonly found in other east African nations such as Kenya and Zimbabwe. Coffee in Rwanda is generally processed by the wet method. Tanzania Most Tanzanian coffees are grown near the border of Kenya on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and are sometimes referred to as Kilimanjaro, Moshi or Arusha. Other coffees are grown further south between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyasa, and are usually called Mbeya, after one of the region's cities or Pare, a market name. All coffees are wet-processed and graded by bean size, with the highest grade being AA, then A and B. Tanzanian coffees are characterized by a winy acidity, medium to full body, and deep richness.

Tanzanian Peaberries are often separated from flat beans and sold at a premium for their enhanced flavor characteristics. Uganda Most of the coffee produced in Uganda is Robusta, and is used for instant coffee. Uganda does produce one fine Arabica called either Bugishu or Bugisu, and it is grown on the western slopes of Mt. Elgon on the Kenyan border. This coffee is winy in its acidity, and similar to Kenyan coffee in flavor, though lighter in body. Vietnam Vietnam has greatly increased production of coffee in recent years and now produces more coffee than Colombia. Although Vietnam ranks second in the world for total volume of coffee exported, it does not yield a significant crop of high grade specialty coffee. Yemen Coffee originated in Ethiopia and was cultivated and processed commercially in neighboring Yemen over a thousand years ago. Arabian Mocha, grown in the northern mountains of Yemen, is one of the oldest and most traditional coffees in the world. It is also one of the finest. Yemen Mocha has been cultivated and processed in the same way for centuries, grown on mountain terraces and dried by the sun. No chemicals are used in Yemeni coffee production, and it is no doubt organic.

Two famous market names for this coffee are Mattari and Sanani. Sanani mochas have a wild, fruity acidity, while Mattari mochas are known for their full body and chocolatey undertones. Zimbabwe Coffee in Zimbabwe is grown on medium-sized farms and is roughly comparable to coffee from Kenya, although Zimbabwe coffee typically has slightly less acidity. The highest quality coffee in Zimbabwe is grown in the Chipinga, or Chipinge, region. Zimbabwe AA Plus Salimba, is a historically excellent coffee from the Chipinga region of Zimbabwe. The finest coffees from Zimbabwe are balanced with rich flavor, moderate acidity, and good aftertaste. National Coffee Association USA > About Coffee > Coffee Around the World These key variables, combined with the way the cherries are processed after being picked , contribute to the distinctions between coffees from countries, growing regions and plantations worldwide. The combination of factors is so complex, that even from a single plantation one finds variation in quality and taste.

Coffee is grown in more than 50 countries around the world, including: North America & The Caribbean United States - Hawaii Though coffee farms are found throughout the Hawaiian islands, it is Kona coffee, from the large island of Hawaii, that is best known and always in high demand. Here, nature provides just the right environment for the coffee trees on the slopes of the active Mauna Loa volcano. Young trees are planted in black, volcanic soil so new that it often seems the farmers are growing seedlings in rock. Afternoon shade from tropical clouds forms a natural canopy over the trees to protect them from intense sun, and frequent island showers give the plants just right amount of rain. Kona coffee is carefully processed to create a deliciously rich, aromatic cup of medium body. Mexico Small Mexican coffee farms are more common than large plantations, but with over 100,000 coffee farmers, Mexico ranks as one of the largest coffee producing countries in the world. Most farms are in the southern states of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas. A cup of Mexican coffee generally offers a wonderful aroma and depth of flavor, often with a pronounced sharpness. It is an excellent bean for dark roasts and is often used in blends.

A Mexican coffee designated Altura means that it was grown at high altitudes. Puerto Rico Coffee was brought to Puerto Rico from Martinique in 1736, and by the late 19th century, the island was the sixth leading exporter of coffee in the world. However, major hurricanes and competition from other coffee producing countries forced the island to seek other means for economic survival. Today, the coffee industry is being revived with carefully cultivated coffee from quality Arabica varieties that are produced to the highest standards. There are two major growing regions on the Caribbean island: Grand Lares in the south central region, and Yauco Selecto in the southwest. Both regions are noted for their beans’ balanced body and acidity, as well as a fruity aroma. Central America Guatemala While perhaps not as well-known as some of its Central and South American neighbors, Guatemala's coffee has a distinctive taste quality favored by many for its rich flavor. There are three main growing regions — Antigua, Coban and Huehuetanango — each with a breathtakingly rugged landscape and rich volcanic soil.

Microclimates strongly influence the quality and flavor of the “strictly hard beans” (grown at altitudes 4500 feet/1370 meters or higher). This medium-to-full bodied coffee has a depth and complexity of taste that is almost spicy or chocolatey. Costa Rica Costa Rica produces only wet-processed Arabicas. With its medium body and sharp acidity, it’s often described as having perfect balance. Costa Rican coffee is grown on predominantly small farms, or fincas. After harvest, the cherries are immediately taken to state-of-the-art processing facilities, known as beneficios, where wet method processing begins. The careful attention to quality processing and conscientious growing methods have built Costa Rica’s reputation for fine coffee. South America Colombia Colombia is probably the world's best-known coffee producer and ranks second worldwide in yearly production. A high standard of excellence is maintained with great pride and careful growing on thousands of small family farms across the country. Such care and attention results in consistently good, mild coffees, with a well-balanced acidity. The rugged Colombian landscape provides the perfect natural environment for growing, but the terrain makes it difficult to transport the harvested coffee beans to production and shipment centers.

Even today, this is often done by mule or Jeep. Colombian Supremo, the highest grade, has a delicate, aromatic sweetness while Excelso Grade is softer and slightly more acidic. Brazil Brazil is the biggest coffee producing country in the world, with seemingly endless expanses available for its production. Coffee plantations in Brazil often cover immense areas of land, needing hundreds of people to manage and operate them to produce huge quantities of coffee. Both Arabica and Robusta are grown, and the climate, soil quality and altitude determine which variety will grow best in which region. A fine cup of Brazilian is clear, sweet, medium-bodied, and low-acid. East Africa Ethiopia Coffee legend tells of the discovery of the first coffee trees in Ethiopia -- it’s not hard to believe that coffee originated where wild coffee tree forests are still the primary harvesting source. Generally wet processed , coffee from Ethiopia comes from one of three main growing regions — Sidamo, Harrar, Kaffa — and often bears one of those names. In the cup, an Ethiopian coffee tends to offer a remarkable and bold statement: full flavored, a bit down-to-earth and full bodied.

Kenya Kenyan coffee is well-known and well-liked, both in the United States and Europe. The beans produce a sharp, fruity acidity, combined with full body and rich fragrance. Coffee is grown on the foothills of Mount Kenya, often by small farmers. Kenyan producers place an emphasis on quality and as a result, processing and drying procedures are carefully controlled and monitored. Kenya has its own unique grading system. Kenyan AA is the largest bean in a 10-size grading system, and AA+ means that it was estate grown. West Africa Ivory Coast The Ivory Coast is one of the world's largest producers of Robusta coffee, which is strongly aromatic with a light body and acidity. This variety is ideally suited for a darker roast, so they’re often used in espresso blends. The Arabian Peninsula Yemen In the country where coffee was first commercially cultivated, coffee is still grown in the age-old, century-proven manner. Within the small, terraced gardens of family farms, you can almost always find a few coffee trees. Since water is scarce in this arid land, coffee beans grown here tend to be smaller, and more irregular in size and shape. Lack of water also means that the coffee cherries will be dry processed after harvest.

The result is that Yemeni coffee has a distinctive taste that is deep, rich and like no other. In ancient times, when coffee was shipped from the famous Yemeni port of Mocha to destinations all over the world, the word Mocha became synonymous with Arabian coffee. The Dutch combined Arabian coffee with coffee grown on the island of Java to make the first coffee blend -- and one that is still well-known today -- Mocha Java. Asia Indonesia Indonesia, one of the world's largest countries, is composed of thousands of islands. Several of the larger islands — Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi — are known throughout the world for fine quality coffee. The coffee plant was introduced to Indonesia by Dutch colonists in the 17th century, and the country soon led the world's production. Today, small coffee farms of 1-2 acres predominate and most of it’s dry processed . Indonesian coffees are noted for a pronounced rich, full body and mild acidity. Indonesia is also known for its fine aged coffees, which were held over a period of time by farmers who wanted to sell them at higher prices.

Warehousing gently ages the coffee in Indonesia's warm, damp climate and results in a coffee prized for even deeper body and less acidity. This process cannot be matched — even with today’s technology. Vietnam Coffee originally came to Vietnam in the mid-nineteenth century when French missionaries brought Arabica trees from the island of Bourbon and planted them around Tonkin. More recently, coffee has been re-introduced and the coffee industry is growing so rapidly that Vietnam is rapidly becoming one of the world's largest producers. Today, small plantations, located in the southern half of the country, produce mostly Robusta coffee. With light acidity and mild body with good balance, Vietnamese coffee is frequently used for blending. Other coffee-producing nations include: Coffee FAQ | Global Exchange What role does coffee play in the global economy? A: Coffee is the world's second most valuable traded commodity, behind only petroleum. There are approximately 25 million farmers and coffee workers in over 50 countries involved in producing coffee around the world. Coffee was traditionally developed as a colonial cash crop, planted by serfs or wage laborers in tropical climates on large plantations of landowners for sale in colonial countries.

Coffee producers, like most agricultural workers around the world, are kept in a cycle of poverty and debt by the current global economy designed to exploit cheap labor and keep consumer prices low. An estimated 11 million hectares of the world's farmland are dedicated to coffee cultivation. The largest producer and exporter is Brazil, followed by Colombia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mexico. Around the globe, the annual consumption of coffee has expanded to 12 billion pounds. For more information about the history of Latin America and coffee, see Coffee and Power by Jeffrey Paige (in bibliography) What role does coffee play in the US economy? A: Coffee is the US's largest food import and second most valuable commodity only after oil. According to the International Coffee Organization, the US imported 2.72 billion pounds of coffee from September 2001 to September 2002. The US primarily purchases coffee from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, and Vietnam. The U.S. also buys coffee from Indonesia, Costa Rica, Peru, El Salvador, Ecuador, Venezuela, Honduras, Uganda, Thailand, Nicaragua, India, and Papua New Guinea. In the U.S. alone, over 130 million consumers are coffee drinkers.

In recent years, new cafés have been opening at an explosive rate, making specialty coffee mainstream and increasing profit margins for specialty coffee roasters and retailers. The Specialty Coffee Association of America estimated that there are 10,000 coffee cafes and 2,500 specialty stores selling coffee. Chains represent 30% of all coffee retail stores, but the majority remain in the hands of independent owners or small family businesses. How are coffee prices currently set? A: Coffee prices are set according to the New York "C" Contract market. The price of coffee fluctuates wildly in this speculative economy, generally hovering around fifty cents per pound. Most coffee is traded by speculators in New York, who trade approximately 8-10 times the amount of actual coffee produced each year. The single most influential factor in world coffee prices is the weather in Brazil. Droughts and frosts portend shortages of coffee and the price increases. Specialty coffee is often imported at a negotiated price over the C market, which is considered a 'quality premium'. Most of those premiums never reach the coffee farmer, but rather stay in the hands of the exporter.

This creates a disincentive for farmers to increase their quality, as they do not receive the direct benefits of increased investment in producing better coffee. What is the commodity chain of the coffee industry? A: Coffee is an extremely powerful commodity, reigning as the world's most heavily traded product, behind petroleum, and the largest food import of the United States. The global commodity chain for coffee involves a string of producers, middlemen, exporters, importers, roasters, and retailers before reaching the consumer. Coffee is a vital source of export for many of the developing countries that grow it. Some 20 million families in 50 countries now work directly in the cultivation of coffee; an estimated 11 million hectares of the world's farmland are dedicated to coffee cultivation. Arabica and Robusta are the two principle species of coffee harvested today. Approximately 70% of the world's production is the Arabica bean, used for higher-grade and specialty coffees, and 80% of this bean comes from Latin America. Robusta is grown primarily in Africa and Asia. Most small farmers sell directly to middlemen exporters who are commonly referred to as coyotes.

These coyotes are known to take advantage of small farmers, paying them below market price for their harvests and keeping a high percentage for themselves. In contrast, large coffee estate owners usually process and export their own harvests that are sold at the prices set by the New York Coffee Exchange. However, extremely low wages ($2-3/day) and poor working conditions for farmworkers characterize coffee plantation jobs. Importers purchase green coffee from established exporters and large plantation owners in producing countries. Only those importers in the specialty coffee segment buy directly from the small farmer cooperatives. Importers provide a crucial service to roasters who do not have the capital resources to obtain quality green coffee from around the world. Importers bring in large container loads and hold inventory, selling gradually through numerous small orders. Since many roasters rely on this service, importers wield a great deal of influence over the types of green coffee that are sold in the US. There are approximately 1200 roasters in the US today.

Large roasters usually have one blend of recipes and sell to large retailers - the Big Three (Kraft, which owns Maxwell House and Sanka, owned by Philip Morris; Procter & Gamble, which owns Folgers and Millstone; and Nestle) maintain over 60% of total green bean volume. Microroasters, or those who roast up to 500 bags of coffee a year, offer the product we know as specialty coffee. Most roasters buy coffee from importers in small, frequent purchases. Roasters have the highest profit margin in the value chain, thus making them an important link in the commodity chain. Retailers usually purchase packaged coffee from roasters, although an increasing number of retailers are also roasting their own beans for sale. The Specialty Coffee Association of America estimated that there are 10,000 cafes and 2,500 specialty stores selling coffee. Chains represent approximately 30% of all coffee retail stores. However, supermarkets and traditional retail chains are still the primary channel for both specialty coffee and non-specialty coffee, and they hold about 60% of marketshare of total coffee sales.

Around the globe, the annual consumption of coffee is 12 billion pounds and in the U.S. alone, over 130 million consumers are coffee drinkers. What is the economic situation of small farmers in the coffee industry? A: Coffee is produced both on large plantations and by small farmers. Typically, Fair Trade farmers cultivate less than 3 hectares of coffee and harvest 1,000-3,000 pounds of unroasted coffee a year. Small farmers are perhaps more aptly defined by those farmers who rely principally on their own families' labor. This makes Fair Trade potentially representative of an estimated 75% of all coffee farmers. Many coffee farmers receive prices for their harvest that can be less than the costs of production, forcing them into a cycle of poverty and debt. They are often forced to sell to middlemen who pay them half the market price, generally between $.30-.50 per pound. Family farmers usually bring in a cash income of $500-$1,000 a year for their coffee. What are the labor problems and working conditions in the coffee industry?

A: Conditions for coffee workers on large plantations varies widely, but most are paid the equivalent to sweatshop wages and toil under abysmal working conditions. In Guatemala for example, coffee pickers have to pick a 100-pound quota in order to get the minimum wage of less than $3/day. A recent study of plantations in Guatemala showed that over half of all coffee pickers don't receive the minimum wage, in violation of Guatemalan labor laws. Workers interviewed in the study were also subject to forced overtime without compensation, and most often did not receive their legally-mandated employee benefits. The total average income reported was Quetzales 1006 ($127.37/month). According to 1998 data published by Guatemala's National Institute of Statistics, the cost of the Basic Food Basket for a family of five was 1353.86 Quetzales per month ($171.37 @7.90 exchange rate). The Basket of Goods and Services (including food, education, healthcare, clothing, and transportation) was Q2470.55 ($312.72).

Because of this situation, many coffee workers bring their children to help them in the fields in order to pick the daily quota. These child workers are not officially employed and therefore not subject to labor protections. While children in most rural families work at an earlier age than urban children, a February 4 investigative report by ABC-affiliate KGO television in San Francisco revealed children as young as 6 or 8 years old at work in the fields. We believe that the best way to prevent child labor in the fields is to pay workers a living wage. Working conditions on these plantations are harsh; as migrant farmworkers, many workers sleep in temporary shelters with rows of bunk beds. Many times they cook, wash and bathe from the same water source. The study of coffee plantations in Guatemala revealed that only 13% of coffee workers have completed their primary education. Most were not provided with legally-mandated adequate health care. Most coffee workers, like many agricultural workers around the world, are not guaranteed their basic labor rights including the right to organize. The rural nature of farmwork makes them especially vulnerable to threats and coercion, as plantation owners can take advantage of their control over the workforce to keep them from organizing into unions to demand their rights.

Many countries have adequate labor laws such as minimum wage, mandated health and safety requirements, and freedom to form a union, but these rights are usually not enforced. What are some of the environmental issues, like pesticides and biodiversity, with coffee production? the Environment (PDF 106 kb) A: Coffee farming originally developed in Africa as an understory crop beneath diverse shade trees that provided habitat for wildlife such as birds, butterflies, insects, and animals. Traditional farmers usually use sustainable agricultural techniques including composting coffee pulp, rotating crops, and not applying expensive chemicals and fertilizers. In addition, they usually cultivate food alongside cash crops, and intercrop other plants such as banana and nut trees which provide food security as well as additional sources of income. In the 1970s and 80s, as part of the general shift to 'technified agriculture' during the so-called Green Revolution, the US Agency for International Development and other groups gave $80 million dollars for plantations in Central America to replace traditional shade grown farming techniques with 'sun cultivation' techniques in order to increase yields. This resulted in the destruction of vast forests and biodiversity of over 1.1 million hectares.

'Sun cultivated' coffee involves the cutting down of trees, monocropping, and the input of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This type of industrial coffee farming leads to severe environmental problems, such as pesticide pollution, deforestation and the extinction of songbirds through habitat destruction. The Smithsonian Institute has identified industrial coffee production as one of the major threats to songbirds in the hemisphere due to deforestation - the birds no longer have a habitat in which to live. Soil and water sources continue to be severely degraded by many coffee farms, as coffee pulp is often dumped into streams. In addition to the harmful effects on the environment caused by the use of chemical pesticides and herbicides in coffee cultivation, workers are also at risk of drinking contaminated water and being poisoned by pesticides. For these reasons, many bird, tree, and biodiversity conservationists have developed standards for promoting "shade-grown" or "bird-friendly" certified coffee -- that is, coffee grown under a canopy of diverse trees that provide habitat to birds. The Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, as well as Rainforest Alliance and the Seattle Audubon Society, all promote various labels of coffee that promote tree and bird conserving farming practices.

In addition, many consumers are committed to purchasing organic coffee in order to promote sustainable farming techniques in poor countries. For more information, see the Proceedings of the First Sustainable Coffee Congress by the Smithsonian Institute, which is a valuable resource on all issues of sustainability. How does Fair Trade address environmental issues such as shade grown and organic? A: About 85% of Fair Trade Certified coffee is shade grown and either passive or certified organic. Over half of the certified organic coffee is produced by Fair Trade cooperatives, but unless the coffee is Fair Trade Certified, there is no guarantee that the farmer received the benefit. Certified organic coffee in the Fair Trade market receive a $.15 premium per pound. Typically, small farmers have never had the money to finance cutting down of the trees or purchase large amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Small farmers have traditionally passed on sustainable farming techniques to their children. We believe that small farmers are the best stewards of the land, with the highest interest in living in and passing on land with healthy soil free from harmful pesticides to their children. Paying farmers a fair wage with incentives for ecological practices is the best way to encourage sustainable farming.

Fair Trade helps guarantee that the benefits of organic farming techniques reach the farmer as well as the consumer and the environment. We support the shade grown/bird-friendly as well as organic labeling movements as an important tool for consumers to make responsible choices about environmental conservation, and support the double- or triple-labeling of coffee. Most consumers who believe in supporting living wages for farmers also support sustainable farming practices that promote environmental conservation. How does the Fair Trade certification process differ from organic and shade grown certifications? A: Organic, Shade Grown, and Bird-Friendly certification labels have contributed important and valuable efforts to promoting sustainable agriculture techniques that benefit farmers and the environment. However, they do not carry the encompassing attributes of the Fair Trade Certification process. Organic coffee is certified according to strict legal criteria. There are a number of different certifying agencies (QAI, OCIA) that all certify according to the same California Organic Foods Act an in accordance with the standards of the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM). Shade coffee (bird-friendly) is currently certified by several groups (Rainforest Alliance, Seattle Audubon Society, Smithsonian Institute) but they work with slightly different criteria and do not have comprehensive monitoring procedures.

Of these, the Smithsonian Institute has the strongest and most scientifically-based criteria and the best monitoring capability. Fair Trade Certification works with a ten year old comprehensive system of monitoring according to international standards. Most (85%) Fair Trade Certified coffee is organic and shade grown, and most Shade and Organic coffee comes from farms that are organized as part of the Fair Trade network. Unfortunately, most organic or shade grown coffee is not Fair Trade; you still have to look for the Fair Trade Certified label to know if the farmer got a fair price. Notably, unlike organic certification, all Fair Trade coffee monitoring and certification costs are paid by the roasters in the consuming countries, not the farmers. In sum, we believe Fair Trade, Shade/Bird Friendly and Organic labeling initiatives to be symbiotic, because what is good for the workers is good for trees, birds, and our shared environment. Many consumers are looking for coffee that is multiply certified; labor and ecological standards overlap and are mutually beneficial. How did the concept of Fair Trade originate? A: The Fair Trade movement began in the late 1950s as alternative trade organizations (ATOs) emerged in Europe and the US to promote grassroots development through direct, equitable trade.

These ATOs bought directly from Third World producers, eliminating the middlemen, and paid the producers a fair price while providing assistance in developing trading experience and market contacts. Such experiences helped producers raise their incomes while reducing their dependency on commercial middlemen. These first ATOs were primarily "Third World shops" which dealt mainly in handicrafts. Today, there are 3,000 of these shops in Europe organized in the Network of European World Shops, and about 100 in the US, organized in the Fair Trade Federation. How was the concept of Fair Trade Certification developed? A: The first Fair Trade certification initiative, called Max Havelaar, was proposed in Holland in 1988. It marked an important departure from the ATO model. The Fair Trade seal was offered to mainstream coffee roasters who were willing to trade even a fraction of their total volume on Fair Trade terms. By bringing in larger coffee roasters and pushing Fair Trade into mainstream supermarkets, this seal exposed many more consumers to the benefits of Fair Trade coffee and greatly increased the number of farmers who benefit from Fair Trade.

After the Fair Trade seal demonstrated itself as a viable marketing concept, several groups from other countries in Europe adopted the initiative, many under the name of Fair Trade USA. However, for most of their history, the Fair Trade labeling organizations remained a collection of independent, autonomous, nationally based initiatives that shared criteria and worked with the same farmers, but pursued common goals with different strategies. There are currently Fair Trade Certification seals in 17 different importing countries. How did the Fairtrade Labeling Organizations international originate? A: In 1997, Fair Trade labelers formed an international umbrella group called Fair Trade Labeling Organizations (FLO) International. The 17-member organization follows a set criteria which defines Fair Trade for each product certified under the Fair Trade system, including coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, honey, bananas and orange juice. For each commodity, there is a shared International Fair Trade Registry of farmers who have undergone a formal application process and have been approved to sell to the Fair Trade market. Monitoring and certification systems are maintained by FLO, which has field monitors in each producer region or country who annually visit all of the producer coops. Each member of FLO contributes to international monitoring costs with its annual dues.

How did Fair Trade coffee in the US get started? A: In 1986, Equal Exchange was established to import Nicaraguan coffee as an expression of solidarity with the people and revolution of Nicaragua, after the Reagan administration imposed an unfair trade embargo. Equal Exchange became the only ATO in the US to focus exclusively on Fair Trade coffee, trading according to the international standards before there was a monitoring agency in the US. In the fourteen years since its inception, Equal Exchange has built a small but important niche for Fair Trade coffee, earning the respect and recognition of the specialty coffee industry and helping many farmers to keep their land during the low ebbs in the world coffee market. Other companies such as Peace Coffee in Minneapolis, Zapatista Coffee in Denver, Café Mam in Oregon, Café Campesino in Georgia, and Dean's Beans in Massachusetts have also been active promoting fair prices for farmers over the last five years, as well as promoting education about the coffee industry and the need for Fair Trade. How did Fair Trade Certification in the US get started? A: Fair Trade USA is the only FLO-affiliated, non-profit Fair Trade certification organization in the United States.

Fair Trade USA was founded in 1996, but due to lack of funding was stagnant until 1998, when it incorporated in Oakland under the leadership of longtime coffee farmer advocate Paul Rice. Initially, the organization focused on certifying coffee importers who were willing to trade according to Fair Trade criteria. In 1999, that focus shifted to roasters. In 1999 they focused most of their energies on Bay Area companies, but many socially responsible roasters across the nation have become licensees, especially after the April 2000 SCAA conference where Fair Trade USA brought producers from a dozen different Fair Trade cooperatives to show their product. In the fall of 2000 their focus is on Boston and the greater Northeast. As of mid-2000, there were over 50 importers and roasters licensed to sell Fair Trade coffee with the Fair Trade USA label. In addition, Fair Trade USA is active around promotion and consumer education around Fair Trade coffee. See airtradeusa.org for more information. What are the Fairtrade Labeling Organizations (FLO) criteria for roasters and importers?

A: Any coffee roaster that complies with the following conditions can apply for the right to use of one of the Fair Trade Labels of FLO-International. The purchasing price must have been fixed in accordance with the conditions established for this effect by FLO-International: Guaranteed floor price of $1.26 per pound for washed arabica. For Arabicas the New York "C" market shall be the basis of calculation. The price shall be established in US$-cents per pound, plus or minus the prevailing differential for the relevant quality, basis F.O.B. origin, net shipped weight. Over the established prices, there shall be a fixed premium of 5 US$-cents per pound. For certified organic or biological coffee with officially recognized certification, that will be sold as such, an additional premium of 15 US$-cents per pound green coffee will be due, on top of the FLO-International price. The roaster/buyer is obliged to facilitate the coffee producers access to credit-facilities at the beginning of the harvest season, up to 60% of the value of the contracted coffee at Fair Trade conditions, at regular international interest rates. The credit will be cancelled upon shipment of the coffee.

Producers and roasters/buyers depend on reliability and continuity. For that reason, relations between both should be based on long term contracts (1 to 10 years). The floor price of the Fair Trade criteria acts as a safety net, protecting small farmers when fluctuating market prices fall extremely low. Currently, the floor price for conventionally grown Arabica beans is $1.26/pound and $1.41/pound if the coffee is certified organic. When the market price is above the floor price, as it was during the 1994-98 period, the Fair Trade price is an additional $0.05/pound premium above normal market price. Therefore, the Fair Trade floor price is most relevant in times like the present, when the world market price hovers around $0.85/pound (meaning that most small farmers are only getting $0.20-0.40/pound). The Fair Trade floor prices were determined after considerable field research into production and living costs in various coffee-growing countries. Negotiation in 1988 between European Fair Trade leaders, farmer representatives and the industry established the initial floor prices. The Fair Trade criteria around credit are especially important for small farmers.

Without access to credit during the "lean months" between harvests, small farmers often are forced to sell the future rights to their harvests to local middlemen at extremely low prices in exchange for some cash up front. At harvest time, the farmers are not allowed to pay off the middlemen with cash - they must hand over the coffee. So without access to credit, many farmers would not be able to take advantage of the opportunity to sell at Fair Trade prices. This is why credit is built into the Fair Trade criteria as an obligation of the importer. What are the Fairtrade Labeling Organizations criteria for producers? A: FLO maintains a Coffee Producers Registry that is open to associations of small farmers who meet several criteria that can be summed up in the following way. They have to be poor; only small farmers who are not dependent on hired labor, not plantations, are represented. And they have to be democratically organized as small farmer associations that are independent and transparent. Representatives from FLO annually inspect Fair Trade farms in producing countries. The exact FLO criteria for Producers are the following: the majority of the members of the organization are small scale producers of coffee.

By small producers are understood those that are not structurally dependent on hired labor, managing their farm mainly with their own and their family's labor-force; the organization is independent and democratically controlled by its members.

This means that the members of the organizations participate in the decision-making process which determines the general strategy of their organization, including decisions related to the destiny of the additional resources which result from operations in the framework of this agreement; administrative transparency and effective control by the members and its Board over the management is secured, minimizing the risk of fraud and offering members the necessary instruments to be able to act adequately in case of fraud; the philosophy motivating the organization is based on the concept and practice of solidarity; no form of political, racial, religious or sexual discrimination is practiced; the organization is statutarily open to new members; the organization is politically independent, and there are sufficient guarantees that the organization will not become the instrument of any political party or interest; the organization shares with the FLO-International and with the other organizations inscribed in the Producers' Register the following principles and general objectives: integral economic development, concentrating on improvement of production techniques and diversification of the production, in order to diminish dependency on one single product as a cash crop; integral organizational development, improving the managerial and administrative capacity of the actual and future leadership of the organization and ensuring full participation of the members in the definition of strategies and the use of extra income resulting from fair trade; integral social development, for

 instance through health care and educational programs, improvement of housing and water supply, thus creating better living conditions for the members and their families and the communities they live in; sustainable development strategies, applying production techniques which respect the specific ecosystems and contribute to the conservation and a sustainable use of natural resources, in order to avoid as much as possible - or even totally - the use of chemical inputs; integral human participation, offering especially women the opportunity to play a more active role in the development process and in the decision making process and management of the organization; improvement of the quality of the products as a strategic requirement for the small producers to defend themselves on both the Fair Trade Market and the regular market.

Logically, it is necessary that the quality of the coffee offered for exportation complies with the minimum quality standards as required by the different markets, and the organization must count with the management capacity to effectively export the coffee and act as a reliable commercial partner. There are no criteria made for farm practices that the Fair Trade farmers must follow, even though Fair Trade standards explicitly support the development of organic agriculture and environmental protection. At the Fair Trade Producers' Assembly in June 1997, the producer groups themselves proposed a set of environmental standards. These standards included the use of leguminous trees, cultivation of timber species on the coffee farm, and windbreaks. These producer-derived indicators emphasize the awareness of "shade" as a beneficial farm practice, decreasing the likelihood that farmers will transfer to "sun" grown coffee as they increase their profits. How does the certification process work? A: As a member of the international Fair Trade network, Fair Trade USA is responsible for monitoring the paper trail from crop to cup to ensure Fair Trade practices were followed throughout. Producers FLO maintains a Coffee Producers Registry that is open to associations of small farmers as detailed above.

FLO maintains field monitors in countries and regions of origin, and makes annual visits to ensure producer compliance with the Fair Trade criteria. The majority of cooperatives fulfill or surpass the requirements of FLO's criteria wholeheartedly. If producer cooperatives are found not in compliance, they can be put on probation for a period to allow for improvement, and in rare cases, dismissed from the list for serious violations. Importers and Roasters In the U.S., coffee importers and roasters must sign a licensing agreement with Fair Trade USA in order to sell Fair Trade Certified coffee using Fair Trade USA's trademarked seal on their products. Fair Trade USA's Monitoring Department handles the US side of the coffee trail by monitoring licensee paperwork, including sales receipts and tracking numbers. Roasters must pay a licensing fee of 10 cents per pound to Fair Trade USA to ensure the sustainability of the system, and to ensure that costs for certification are born in the North rather than by the farmers. Does the Fair Trade system work with large plantations? A: Fair Trade is fundamentally focused on the small farmer, the producer of the great majority of the world's coffee. Therefore, it cannot address all of the social inequities associated with coffee production around the world.

As noted earlier, by deliberately excluding plantations from the Fair Trade coffee market, the movement does little to improve the lot of landless farmworkers employed on those estates. In contrast, in the case of tea and bananas, two largely plantation-grown crops, Fair Traders have developed criteria that address wages, living and working conditions of farmworkers, the right to organize, and even mechanisms for profit-sharing. Fair Trade inspectors report that monitoring and verification of fulfillment of these criteria for large estates are more challenging tasks than with small farmer cooperatives. Nevertheless, Fair Trade labelers made a political decision to engage the large-estate sector in the case of these two commodities. However, there has been contention involving bringing plantation grown coffee into the scene, because of the importance of the issue of land reform. The Fair Trade coffee market is still too small to support both small farmers and plantations. Presently, less than half the total production volume of the small farmers on the International Fair Trade Register is sold at Fair Trade terms because worldwide demand is still too small to absorb it all. Bringing plantation grown coffee into the Fair Trade market would further dilute the position of the small holders.

Therefore, any discussion of opening Fair Trade markets to estate owners (and farmworkers) should be postponed until the market grows large enough to absorb them without undermining the position of the small farmer cooperatives. Is there a Code of Conduct for the treatment of workers on large plantations? A: In lieu of developing Fair Trade criteria for plantation grown coffee, some Fair Trade leaders in Europe are promoting the development of a Code of Conduct to address the industry's sourcing practices and, in particular, the issues of wages and working conditions on large coffee estates. In July 1999, the European Fair Trade Association issued an open invitation to consumer and religious organizations across Europe to join them in a campaign to pressure the European Coffee Federation to implement a Code of Conduct or "Guidelines for Ethical Trading". A television documentary exploring the deplorable conditions on Guatemalan coffee estates sparked a massive response to this invitation. The European Coffee Federation, representing the large European roasters and importers, responded by discussing the subject of responsible business in their 1999 annual meeting. Global Exchange has agreed to be the US partner in this international effort, and is looking for other labor advocates interested in participating in this effort.

So far, the only effort in this direction in the U.S. has been Starbucks' 1995 Framework for action for sourcing coffee in Guatemala, which it only half-heartedly implemented after consumer pressure (coordinated by the US/Guatemala Labor Exchange, now US/LEAP) was applied. Global Exchange is maintaining pressure on Starbucks, demanding that they implement their Framework for Action plan. The rest of the U.S. coffee industry has yet to seriously look at Sourcing Guidelines or a Code of Conduct that effectively addresses the issues of wages, working conditions and organizing rights on plantations. Why did Global Exchange decide to start a Fair Trade coffee campaign? A: Because coffee is so widely traded and consumed, it has an immense impact on the economic well-being of people in poor countries. For the same reason, it also offers one of the most promising avenues for bringing about positive change. Global Exchange believes that as we criticize free trade and corporate globalization for its lack of democracy and exploitation of poor people around the world, we need to promote our own vision of a just global trade system based on economic justice.

In our work against sweatshops, we have struggled for years with the need for a comprehensive system of monitoring of wages and factory conditions that doesn't yet exist for garments as it does for coffee. With the inception of Fair Trade USA, Fair Trade Coffee certification became the first commodity where an independent monitoring system could track and verify that Fair Trade criteria had been met. We have been involved for ten years in promoting Fair Trade through our craft stores in San Francisco and Berkeley. Recognizing an alternative to free trade in Fair Trade Certified coffee, Global Exchange initiated a campaign in the summer of 1999. What is the history of the Fair Trade coffee movement? A: Global Exchange began spearheading a campaign to promote Fair Trade coffee in the summer of 1999. During the summer we focused our campaign on our local Bay Area. We organized a coalition of interested human rights, environmental, church, social justice, and student organizations that believed in the model of Fair Trade and wanted to help promote living wages for farmers. We outreached to the local press and generated stories about Fair Trade in the Oakland Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Examiner, and San Jose Mercury News about Fair Trade coffee.

We helped to host Santiago Rivera, a farmer from San Francisco's Sister City of Estelí, Nicaragua, for an event with San Francisco Supervisor and living wage advocate Tom Ammiano. We worked with San Francisco, Berkeley , and Oakland city councils to be the first governments in the country to offer Fair Trade Certified purchasing restrictions . We increased the retail outlets that offer Fair Trade Certified coffee from just 4 to over 100 in just a few months! Our volunteers set up informational tables at many local events, hosted speakers on Fair Trade coffee at local schools and churches, and brought awareness to the need to purchase Fair Trade to a critical mass of people in the Bay Area. In the fall of 1999 we began sowing the seeds for our nationwide campaign focusing on helping community activists and college students coordinate Fair Trade coffee campaigns on their campuses. We had a network of over 50 communities, predominantly colleges, that are organizing educational outreach and campaigning to promote Fair Trade coffee and purchasing restrictions locally.

Students at schools including Ohio University, Portland State, University of Chicago, Tulane, and Columbia are working to get sweatshop coffee off their campuses and replace it with Fair Trade Certified coffee, and students at UC Davis, College of the Atlantic, and SUNY Binghamton have already been successful. United Students Against Sweatshops, the Student Alliance to Reform Corporations, and student environmental organizations have participated in Fair Trade Certified coffee activities on their campuses, identifying it as an important tool towards decorporatizing our universities and greening our campuses. In addition, we worked with churches, environmental groups, unions, and other social justice communities to promote Fair Trade for farmers. We have an Action Kit full of tools to get started! What is the history of the Starbucks campaign? A: In the spring of 2000 we turned our sights towards Starbucks with the plan of pressuring them to offer their customers the choice to buy Fair Trade coffee at all of their stores across the country. Starbucks is the largest retailer of specialty coffee, owning a fifth of all cafes nationwide. In November, 1999, Global Exchange approached then Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and requested that Starbucks buy Fair Trade Certified coffee.

We then organized several peaceful demonstrations promoting Fair Trade in front of Starbucks in Seattle that same month. Starbucks was initially very hesitant, alleging low bean quality and insufficient consumer demand. We then initiated a massive letter writing campaign involving citizens across the nation, writing as consumers of Starbucks demanding they carry Fair Trade coffee. In February, 2000, an investigative report by ABC-affiliate KGO in San Francisco exposed child labor and incredibly low wages in plantations in Guatemala, some of which sell coffee to Starbucks. On February 4th we organized a local protest as a result. On February 14th we petitioned stockholders at their Annual General Meeting in Seattle to respond to consumer demand and fairness and offer Fair Trade Certified coffee. In a meeting we had that day with Starbucks officials, they stated that they would not yet commit to doing so. That week, Starbucks announced a one-time shipment of 75,000 pounds of Fair Trade coffee as a sign that they were aware of the demand. We responded that for a company the size of Starbucks, this represented a "Drop in the Cup," an average of about 30 pounds per store - and that the coffee was not certified!

We quickly dismissed this move in the media as an obvious public relations ploy, because this tiny token amount is only enough for about 30 pounds per store! We then circulated an Open Letter, signed by 84 student, environmental, church, and social justice organizations, asking Starbucks to pay farmers a living wage and offer them the choice to buy Fair Trade Certified coffee. We helped organize 30 demonstrations to be held on April 13 across the country at Starbucks shops, with a large base of activists committed to helping farmers earn a living wage. Over 500 concerned people faxed in letters to Starbucks from our website, and hundreds more sent in postcards asking the giant retailer to offer Fair Trade coffee. Three days before the launch of our campaign on April 13, Starbucks capitulated to our demands and announced an agreement with Fair Trade USA to begin offering Fair Trade Certified coffee at all of its stores nationwide with a launch date of October 4. They will also be developing educational materials including posters, brochures, packaging, and training for coffee bar workers, so millions of customers will have the chance to learn about the benefits of Fair Trade.

This is a huge victory for farmers whose incomes will triple, as hundreds more farmers will be able to sell their coffee at Fair Trade prices. It is also an importance victory for the corporate accountability movement. Starbucks' quick capitulation in the face of nationwide protests illustrates that grassroots organizing and education can indeed bring about major results. Starbucks has agreed to offer the coffee in whole bean form only, and we will be pressuring them to offer it in brewed coffees and espresso drinks this fall when the beans are on the shelves. What is your relationship with the Specialty Coffee Association of America? A: From April 14-18, 2000, we attended the Specialty Coffee Association of America, titled "Quality, Sustainability, and Social Responsibility." Fair Trade and discussions of fairness and sustainability played a major role in the conference, held in San Francisco. After the conference, we have been working with the SCAA to develop a workplan for their newly created Fair Trade Working Group.

We have identified key areas in which the trade association, in an historic move, can help to play a leadership role in promoting Fair Trade amongst its members, including officially endorsing Fair Trade Certification, educating its members through trade publications, assisting in research needs, and helping to channel funding resources for product quality improvement to Fair Trade cooperatives. Is there enough consumer demand for Fair Trade coffee? A: According to the 1998 Cone/Roper benchmark study, 78% percent of consumers would rather purchase a product associated with a cause about which they believe. 54% say that they would pay more for a product that supports their cause. Fair Trade USA's 1997 consumer study revealed that 49% of specialty coffee drinkers surveyed said they would buy Fair Trade coffee. In the post-WTO climate, more and more people are demanding Fair Trade products. Most people in this country would rather buy a cup of coffee picked under fair trade conditions than sweatshop labor conditions. Be sure to check out our Action Kit which is full of ideas and resources. What can any community organization do to support Fair Trade? A: Help start a campaign in your community that will highlight the importance of paying farmers a living wage.

Distribute educational leaflets and local events and local cafés, particularly ones that might be interested in offering Fair Trade coffee. Send a letter to local roasters and cafés from your organizational letterhead asking them to talk with Fair Trade USA about offering Fair Trade coffee. Make sure that your local community serves Fair Trade Certified coffee at community events. Encourage your community organization to purchase Fair Trade products for fundraisers and organizational gifts. Check out our Action Pack for more ideas. What role can campus activists play? A: Fair Trade provides a sustainable alternative to corporate free trade practices. Bringing Fair Trade Certified coffee to our campuses to replace corporate coffee is an important step towards replacing environmentally & socially exploitative product sourcing with sustainable development practices and decorporatizing our universities. It is a visible and achievable goal that can be incorporated into current campaigns, used to recruit new activists, and network labor, environmental, social justice, and other organizations, not to mention Asian, African, and Latin American Studies, along with International Relations, Labor Departments, Women's Studies, Environmental Studies, students, staff, and faculty, etc. Fair Trade practices are environmentally sustainable, fair, and independently monitored - all of which are essential components of a green campus and a democratic global economy.

Campus activists have been key players in the anti-sweatshop movement. Now we have a chance to promote purchasing restrictions on our campuses for Fair Trade Certified coffee. Check out our Action Pack for tools and resources. What can teachers, professors, and graduate students do? A: Invite a guest speaker to your classroom to talk about Fair Trade. Order a copy of the video Santiago's Story and show it to your students. Have them discuss Fair Trade, what it means and what they can do to support it. Follow up with concrete actions (delivering postcards and petitions to a local Starbucks for example, or organizing a public education presentation on Fair Trade for the community). Discuss with the students what it means to take concrete action in promoting fairness in the global economy. Check out our Action Pack for more ideas. There is also a serious need for expanded research around Fair Trade issues, such as the improvement in farmers' lives, working conditions on coffee plantations, consumer research, and movement strategies. If you are interested in researching themes of use to the Fair Trade movement, contact fairtrade@globalexchange.org . What role can labor unions play?

A: Labor unions have been at the forefront of the movement for Fair Trade in the global economy, and have played an important role in the Fair Trade movement in Europe and Canada. Make sure that your local workplace serves Fair Trade Certified coffee. Make it a demand of a union contract that the worksite sells on Fair Trade Certified coffee, for example at a hotel. Make the connections between farmworker issues at home and abroad. Check out our Action Pack for more ideas. What role can religious groups play? A: Religious organizations have a long history of supporting social justice and promoting positive solutions to global injustice. Send a letter to local cafes and grocery stores asking them to sell Fair Trade coffee. Have an event at your social hour or religious education classes to show the video, Santiago's Story, discuss Fair Trade, and write letters to your local stores. Make sure that your local place of worship serves Fair Trade Certified coffee at coffee hour or other events. Encourage your church to purchase Fair Trade coffee as a fundraiser - check out the Fair Trade Certified vendor list. Check out our Action Kit for more ideas. Also, see this article from The Catholic Voice. What can regular consumers do to support Fair Trade?

A: Consumers can play a powerful role in demanding that coffee companies offer us the choice to buy Fair Trade Certified coffee. We can demand that they take responsibility for the working conditions of the people who produce the product that makes their business successful. Buy Fair Trade Certified coffee. Ask for Fair Trade Certified coffee where you shop. Drop a note in the suggestion box at your local grocery store or café. Get involved in the Fair Trade movement -- contact us for information on how you can help build Fair Trade in your community! Check out Ten Things You Can Do for Fair Trade for more suggestions. Which Countries Grow The Best Coffee Beans? Which Countries Grow The Best Coffee Beans ? If you are like me and you love coffee, you are probably consistently searching for that perfect cup. Well, the perfect cup starts with the perfect bean. And the perfect bean is largely based upon the combination of soil quality and climate. So when you think of the perfect country for coffee bean growth what comes to mind? Probably, somewhere tropical. A place with regular rain and sun. If you are like most people you will undoubtedly say "Brazil". It's true, Brazil is the biggest dog on the block accounting for a whopping one-third of all coffee bean production. Its climate is ideal for coffee bean production.

It's no wonder they hold top spot. But, do they make the best bean? Ironically, coffee bean production did not start in Brazil. It actually began in Ethiopia. Even though they can still be seen there they're popularity has spread. Today you can find coffee beans being produced in many countries throughout the free world. Matter of fact, there are now about seventy some countries officially growing coffee beans. Unfortunately, only a few of these countries actually have the most ideal situation for producing beans of a high quality. Aside from Brazil, some of the most popular destinations for coffee bean production are Columbia, Indonesia, Hawaii and Mexico. We must not forget that aside from climate and soil quality, the altitude at which beans are grown has a significant impact on their quality. The higher they are grown the better. With this in mind we must give some attention to Columbia. They certainly produce some of the best beans in the world. However, its poor economy and underdeveloped infrastructure makes transport to processing plants difficult. Therefore, I am sure we are not seeing the best that that country has to offer. If you have ever had Hawaiian coffee, you probably will swear up and down that it is the best in the world. Well you could be right.

Even though they don't produce large quantities Hawaii's volcanic ash, large amounts of rainfall and hot sweltering sun create the perfect environment for production. There is, also, probably something to the small quantities they produce. The small crafted feel no doubt enhances Hawaii's mystic as a supreme coffee bean producer. Much like we see here in the states with regards to small-batch Bourbons. Lastly, a very popular place that could possibly win the best coffee bean award would have to be Indonesia. The countries humid climate is ripe for perfect growth. Also, they have taken the production of coffee beans to new heights. They use very advanced technologies that help them grow beans in remote places like Java and Sulawesi. Coffee is so popular from this area that we often euphemistically refer to our coffee as a "Cup of Java". Users Reading this article are also interested in:

Question: Which nation produces the most coffee beans?
Answer: Brazil