Coffee Trade

Did you know that coffee is the world’s second most traded commodity, topped only by crude oil?

The fascinating journey from plant to cup starts when the farmers pick the coffee cherries. Then the farmers process the cherries to turn them into green coffee beans.

They can also sell the cherries to a processor or work with a cooperative. The processors sell the green beans to exporters or government agencies.

Dealers or brokers sell the coffee beans to the roasters, who turn the green beans into the coffee products you know and love.

Coffee gives work to more than 60 million people around the world – approximately 1 percent of the world’s population –, including farmers, brokers, roasters, marketers and retailers. Between the farmer and the coffee drinker, there are many intermediaries.

The long and complex supply chain has many disadvantages for the farmers. To remedy that, the NESCAFÉ Plan was launched in August 2010. Over a period of five years, NESCAFÉ will double the amount of coffee bought directly from farmers and their associations, eventually purchasing 180,000 tonnes of coffee from around 170,000 farmers every year.

With the support of the Rainforest Alliance and the 4C Association, all directly purchased green coffee will meet the internationally-recognized 4C sustainability standards by 2015. In addition, 90,000 tonnes of NESCAFÉ coffee will be sourced according to the Rainforest Alliance and Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) principles.