Goodness in a cup
Coffee is the most widely traded tropical product, with up to 25 million farming households globally accounting for 80 percent of world output. Production is concentrated in developing countries, where coffee accounts for a sizeable share of export earnings, and provides a key source of livelihood for households.
Commodity in focus
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world and one of the most globally traded commodities. The largest coffee producing countries are Brazil, Viet Nam and Colombia, while the European Union and the United States of America are the largest consuming and importing markets. Coffee is a growing market due in part to increasing consumption in emerging economies and a stronger interest in specialty coffee and product innovations in developed countries. Despite the expansion of the sector, recurrent and detrimental market imbalances and asymmetric income distribution among market players can threaten the livelihood of millions of smallholder producers.
Publications
Improved Post-Harvest Handling and Processing Techniques for Value Addition of Cashew Nuts and Coffee in the Chittagong Hill Tracts - TCP/BGD/3609
01/02/2020
Processing and value chain development of vegetables, fruits, fish and livestock products using appropriate technologies promoted through introduction of farmers group marketing practices.
Changing the terms of women's engagement in cocoa and coffee supply chains
10/10/2019
In this report, FAO, Twin, KIT and other case holders take a close look at gender inequalities in the cocoa and coffee sectors, and their underlying causes. The included case studies are structured around four themes including: women’s participation and leadership in producer organisations, women’s access to land, the household approach and innovations in extension services. The report also explores how to address inequalities systematically and how to bring the solutions to scale.
FAO Coffee Pocketbook
10/10/1988
Today, more people are consuming more coffee than ever before. As the middle classes of the developing world continue to swell, as their incomes rise and coffee remains affordable, the luxury of the occasional coffee has become a daily habit in an ever growing number of countries. The rising demand has also afforded producers with new options and opportunities.
Among the tropical beverages – coffee, cocoa and tea – trade in coffee makes up the largest part of the world's market and has grown rapidly since 2000. | |
The bulk of coffee production takes place in the southern hemisphere, while consumption occurs mostly in the northern hemisphere. | |
Coffee is exported at an early stage of the value chain, which means there is little value added in the producing countries. | |
Coffee can contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by generating income, creating rural employment and alleviating poverty. | |
| Coffee culture is growing rapidly throughout the world, with consumption expanding in importing and exporting countries. | |
| Coffee production is witnessing an increasing trend in the application of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) strategies. | |
| Interest in traceability and transparency is growing among consumers in line with their attention to product quality and origin. |
| Coffee production is concentrated in countries with relatively low
income levels and accounts for a sizeable share of their export
earnings. |
| The coffee market is characterized by recurrent supply-demand imbalances
and asymmetric income distribution among actors in the value chain. |
| Key elements of uncertainty for the development of the coffee industry are the economic sustainability of bean production and the effects of climate change. |
| Innovation and new technologies are crucial for the sector to become more productive and competitive in the beverages industry. |
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