Did you know that coffee is the world’s second most traded commodity, topped only by crude oil?
The fascinating journey from bean to cup begins in coffee farms situated mainly in developing countries. Most farmers are smallholders.
After picking the coffee cherries, they process them to make green coffee beans. If they cannot do this themselves, they sell the cherries to a processor or work with a cooperative to process them and produce green beans.
The processors sell the green beans to exporters or government agencies who control the export.
Dealers or brokers sell the coffee beans to the roasters, who turn the green beans into coffee products. The roasters also brand, package and market the coffee products.
The price of coffee is determined mainly by supply and demand. For a long time, demand has been growing at a steady rate. However, supply is affected to a large extent by weather.