The Global Coffee Trade
Fair Trade
Coffee Importers and Growers
The United States Of America and Germany import the most coffee in the world as they import over $2000 million US dollars a year. Out of all the countries in the world, America has the most coffee drinkers according to imports.
For some of the world’s least developed countries, such as Burundi, the cultivation of coffee accounts for the majority of foreign exchange earnings, are up to 80%.
Brazil produces and grows the most coffee in the world with 43,484 bags produced every year.
Brazil in South America is one of the top 10 coffee producers and most of the coffee producers shown on the map are developing countries.
The top 10 producers of coffee is grown between the Cancer and the Capricorn.
The top 10 importers of coffee resides in the Northern Hemisphere above the Tropic of Cancer and are developed countries.
According to Fair Trade Australia/ New Zealand, coffee is a big business and remains one of the most valuable primary products in world trade. All of the 25 million coffee farmers in the world see the coffee business as a labor intensive crop that frequently provides little financial return.
Most of the coffee trade workers worldwide are in developing countries such as; Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Mexico.
Fair Trade coffee producers are small family farms organized in cooperatives or associations which the farmers own and govern democratically.
Risks Relying on Coffee and Consumption
Risks:
- Coffee is limited. If the world keeps relying on coffee, eventually our coffee supply will run out. But if the supply of coffee is becoming scarce, there will be higher demand and the prices for coffee will become more expensive.
- Businesses would experience a huge impact if their main resource for gaining income is no longer avaliable, resulting in backruptcy.
- Caffeine addiction can develop if coffee is taken very often.
- Coffee may increase the risk of Heart Disease and other unhealthy diseases and symptoms.
Consumption Statistics:
- Total amount of money spent by importing coffee to U.S. each year: $4 billion (USD)
- During the last 13 years, production of Arabica reached its highest point in 2012 and 2013.
- Total number of U.S. daily coffee drinkers: 100 million
- Total amount of yearly money spent on specialty coffee in the U.S: $18 billion
- Most of the coffee (about 90%) is being produced in developing countries.
- Finland consumes the most coffee in the world according to the International Coffee Organization's Coffee Market Report (September 2009), Finland's yearly coffee consumption from 2004-2008 was approximately 12 kilograms per capita.
The World's Average Coffee Consumption
(Kgs)
How Has Coffee Changed Over the Years?
Most wet and dry areas are found within the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn while polar/cold areas are mostly found in the North.
Places like South America and Africa are good for growing coffee beans because Africa has mostly hot desert but also wet areas, while South America has rain all year therefore it also has mostly wet areas which give the crops good conditions to grow in. These continents (South America and Africa) are between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.
Bad places for growing coffee is mainly in the Northern part of the world (North America and Northern Asia) due to the cold temperature which gives difficulty for these continents to produce their own coffee.
Stove Coffee Pot
Modern Coffee Machine
References
Coffee now comes in a wide range of different types of flavoured/unflavoured coffee, such as;
Hazelnut, French Vanilla, Amaretto or a special blend.
You can now save money by grinding your own coffee beans and make coffee yourself instead of purchasing.
Methods of brewing coffee has changed from brewing coffee on the top of a wood stove to using a modern professional coffee maker.
- http://fairtrade.com.au/farmers/fairtrade-coffee
- http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/coffee-and-health/faq-20058339
- http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/beverages/coffee/how_coffee_has_changed_over_the_years.html
- http://rummuser.com/?p=10454
- http://www.brookstone.com/kalorik-aqua-10-cup-coffee-maker
- http://www.streetdirectory.com/food_editorials/beverages/coffee/coffee_consumption_around_the_world.html
- https://www15.uta.fi/FAST/FIN/GEN/to-coffe.html
- http://www.statisticbrain.com/coffee-drinking-statistics/
- http://www.statistics-2013.com/coffee-consumption/
Observations
- They both identify differences and similarities between countries/continents
- Shows data (weather, amount of money spent on imports and amount of bags of coffee produced)
- Map features (legend, labels, title etc.)
- Show the best and worst places that coffee can be grown or sold in the world
- In the Top 10 Producers according to Map 1, suggests that the developed countries (which reside in the North) receive their coffee from other producers because they cannot produce their own coffee due to the cold weather
- Top 10 Producers are developing countries
- Top 10 Importers are developed counties
- Places between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn have the best conditions for producing coffee because it is not too cold or too hot
By: Zoe, Becky and Christina