'From the Plantation to the Cup'

A cup of coffee is a normal and pervasive function of modern daily life. The practise of going to a generic international coffee house is a ritual for many, there is a comfort perhaps in being able to get the same latte in Dublin or in Dubai. There has been much contention about the ethics of coffee plantations and how we receive the end product. In this assignment I shall consider how coffee is produced, distributed and consumed. Coffee is grown mostly on mountain terrains, in tropical and sub-tropical regions. There are approximately around 70 countries across the globe that produces coffee, Brazil being the leader with 28 percent of the market share. Coffee is a highly traded commodity and is an important source of employment in the developing world. Yet while the production takes place in Latin America or the Caribbean, the main consumers are the west, namely the U.S, followed by Europe.

Within the network of coffee production, the nodes can be identified as the workers who pick and harvest the beans, they are indigenous labourer workers, who’s pay is insignificant in relation to the multi billion dollar industry. The Nodes extend to the intermediary components such as the coffee roasters, and to the packing, transportation, exporting, importing and eventual marketing and sales operations. What ties the international cooperation to the farmer is the modes of distribution between them such as the roasters. The roasters are important players in the flow between production and consumption of coffee. Roasters often operate in or rely heavily on the importing country and make the highest profit margins. Large roasters normally sell pre-packaged coffee to large retailers, such as Maxwell House. The coffee is then sold to supermarkets, and coffee shops. Coffee is also sold on the commodity market by speculators and investment firms. The ties are driven by profit, in that the planter is tied to roaster, they both work on the same product, offering different services in the aim of profit. The flow of the production is distributed via the operation that buys from the roaster. Then distributor marks up the price and sells to supermarkets or coffee houses, which in turn is sold to us.

The ethical debate has stemmed from the mistreatment of the planters; in that they received a smaller proportional return in the selling of their crop in comparison to the returns of the larger elements or nodes such as the roasters. In the network of coffee production, distribution and consumption the average consumer pays very little head to how they have come to their coffee. The fair trade movement has sought to bring greater equality into the flow of international trade. The plight of the exploited planter has been highlight in the media and technology such as the web has allowed for a great public awareness as to where there coffee has come from.