Coffee Prices have been mostly falling for the last few years. After the coffee rust devastation in 2012, many farms had low production until the new plants started fully producing. Today, the struggle is to try and increase prices to a level that will allow farmers to continue growing. Via Roast Magazine:
A consortium of major organizations representing coffee producers throughout the world has issued a sweeping condemnation of the global coffee industry as the “C price” for coffee sits at historic lows.Without immediate action to supply better collective prices to the world’s approximately 25 million smallholder farmers, the coffee industry may likely be contributing to a widespread humanitarian crisis as coffee farmers abandon coffee in favor of illicit crops or migrate in search of better opportunities, the group warned today.Thirteen organizations representing the World Coffee Producers Forum — including Colombia’s FNC, Africa’s AFCA, Latin America’s Promecafe, Brazil’s BSCA and the United States/Europe’s Specialty Coffee Association — have attached their name to a declaration calling for immediate action in response to low coffee prices.The groups are specifically addressing the ICE futures price for commodity coffee — often called the “C Price” — which is widely used as a price discovery and reference tool in the creation of futures contracts for transactions of green coffee. Throughout the coffee sector, the C price serves as a benchmark that affects prices at virtually all levels of the coffee trade.
Happy New Year 2016! We start a new year, a little fresher, perhaps reminiscent. Wherever we are today, one thing is for sure: last year is over. Welcome New Year, and may it bring the best to all of us.
I’ve been able to do some reading over the holidays in between family, and odd bits of work that cropped up. Here are some that I feel worthy of your attention:
While Peru prepares for El Niño & potential flooding, many coffee regions are experiencing drought conditions which are affecting crop results, not just in coffee, but in other farm products.
Via Roast magazine:
It is no secret that the current El Niño phenomenon has caused drought in the global coffeelands, particularly Central America, the Caribbean, and East Africa. Drought conditions in Central America and the Caribbean are occurring for the second consecutive year, wreaking havoc on cash crops, food staples, and livestock. Continue reading The Costly Effects of the Current Drought on Coffee Farmers→
It’s the time of year when cold drinks help quench your summer thirst (at least in the northern hemisphere!) While it may seem new, iced coffee has been around for quite a while: Via Roast Magazine:
Every summer, articles abound on the season’s latest cold drink trends. This year especially has seen an explosion of bottled cold-brew coffee products on shelves from coast to coast. Casual media outlets tend to react to a spike in any trend as though it manifests out of thin air, entirely by surprise, but there is good reason most packaged cold brew drinks today appear as though they’d be right at home on the shelves of 1960s grocery stores.