Coffee - The Market

by Stuart Brown - Editor - FirstScience.com

Coffee is the second most valuable legally traded commodity on Earth (after oil) with global retail sales of coffee estimated to be $70 billion. Of this approximately $6 billion finds its way into the hands of the producing countries, and the rest goes to those who market it and sell it to us in various forms (and often for ridiculously high prices) in places like coffee bars. Coffee is unusual in that 70 per cent of the world crop is grown on farms smaller than 25 acres, and hence it is often a family run, and people intensive endeavour that provides a living for over 20 million people around the world. Its name is derived from the Arabic qahwa, which literally means "that which prevents sleep" and we know that it was being made in the 9th century by boiling the beans. The drinks made from coffee beans soon became known as Arabian Wine as Muslims, who were forbidden to drink wine, used coffee as a stimulating substitute. It was discovered by around the 13th century that roasting the beans produced a better flavour, and our modern drink was born.

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