Who buys all this coffee?
The World coffee market is dominated by four multinational corporations: Kraft (owner of Maxwell House and other brands), Nestle, Proctor and Gamble and Sara Lee. Much of the coffee they buy goes into making instant coffee. Other buyers include major chains such as Starbucks. Thousands of small independent and artisan roasters buy the remainder, often seeking out the best quality higher value coffee.

 

Why do people worry so much about coffee farmers?

70% of the world’s coffee is grown by around 25 million smallholder farmers in developing countries; usually subsistence farmers who grow a small amount of coffee as a cash crop. The coffee they grow is often their only source of income. The fluctuating coffee market, climate change, crop failure, increasing cost of growing crops can mean that many small farmers struggle even to make a modest living from the coffee they grow.

 

So why does all this matter?

Coffee is a major cash earning export crop for many developing (third World) countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Many of these countries are heavily dependent on international aid from more developed countries, but could better support themselves if they were able to secure decent prices for what they export.

Why not have a go on the Black Gold Coffee Calculator to see how little value from a cup of coffee ends up back with the small farmer.