Take the pledge this International Coffee Day
Today is International Coffee Day.
Every year on 1 October, the world comes together to celebrate coffee and recognise the millions of people across the globe – from farmers, to roasters, baristas, coffee shop owners and more – who are collectively involved in coffee production.
Coffee has never been more popular, with an estimated 3 billion cups consumed every day.
While International Coffee Day (ICD) celebrates our favourite beverage, it is also a time to improve coffee’s future. At present, in spite of growing demand, coffee faces a dramatic issue, as the prices that producers receive today are more than 30% below the average of the last ten years, threatening the livelihoods of coffee farmers and their families.
Due to an increase in crop yields, causing two consecutive years of surplus in the market, there is currently a global oversupply of coffee. This oversupply is driving down the market price of coffee that farmers are paid (to a 15-year low). At the same time the cost of production has increased (labour, fertiliser, land etc) meaning farmers don’t make enough to survive, and while the cup of coffee in a café may not be any cheaper, the amount that farmers are paid for their crop yield can be as little as 1 cent (USD) per cup.
This year, the International Coffee Organization (ICO) is working to highlight the plight of coffee farmers, the threat they are facing to their livelihoods and the need to take collective action. While the price of a cup of coffee has never been higher, the amount that coffee farmers are paid for the beans they produce is at an all time low. Farmers are not earning enough to provide for themselves and their families and may have to turn away from producing coffee altogether.
The global coffee community is coming together to address this issue, and the ICO is asking everyone involved in coffee, from producers, to roasters, governments, banks and the coffee drinking public to sign the #coffeepledge, in support of a living income for coffee farmers.
Sign the #coffeepledge here.
