There are many trends that sweep the nation each year. Some are localized to certain areas or regions and others are nation wide. Some are fleeting and others seem to have a great impact on our society.
One such impact has been the coffee industry.
Over the past several years the coffee industry has exploded across the nation. This can be seen by the number of coffee shops that seem to be popping up on every corner of every large city and small town.
In the past a cup of coffee was seen as a morning beverage that some people enjoyed. Coffee was also served to accompany dessert at the end of a meal. Today coffee is created. You no longer ask for a cup
of coffee, you have to recite a description of every ingredient you want in your cup. Ordering a cup of coffee and waiting for it to be prepared is now a 5 minute event, and the coffee industry is grinning
all the way to the bank.
Coffee has always been slightly more costly than other consumable items that are purchased, but with its increase in popularity the costs are on a steady rise. The days of coffee being a complimentary beverage along with a meal are coming to an end.
The coffee industry is making an effort to treat the coffee growers more fairly. As the popularity in coffee has increased throughout our country the coffee industry has been studied more closely. These studies have caused grave concern for many people. Historically the coffee industry has paid the coffee grower a very minimal sum for the coffee beans. The growing, harvesting and sorting of coffee beans is extremely labor intensive. Many people have thought that this is why coffee is so expensive.
In reality
it is the coffee broker, who acts as the middle man between grower and buyer, which the industry pays the largest sum of money to. The coffee broker uses the language barrier and lack of financial knowledge
against the coffee grower to pay very little for the coffee beans. The broker in turn charges the coffee buyer the true value of the beans. The result is that the grower is paid pennies for their labor and the broker gets rich and the consumer still pays a high cost for coffee.
Things are improving in the coffee industry with the development of fair trade commissions. There is also the equally traded commission that has helped educate the coffee grower so they get a fair price for
their product. By taking part in fair trade commissions organizations and individuals can purchase coffee directly from the grower, which gives him fair compensation and also takes the broker out of the loop. This is helping to make the coffee industry more grower friendly.
The coffee industry still has some things to change before it is completely equitable, but the increased consumption of coffee should give them incentive to run a fairer trade operation.
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Tags: Coffee Beans, Coffee Growers, Coffee Industry, Coffee Shops
