Bookmarked for the 1st October every year, International Coffee Day celebrates the world’s love of coffee. Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every single day across our planet, so it’s only right that such popularity is recognised. The following article from Coinadrink Limited will explore not only the history of this special event, but also the coffee farming traditions typically surrounding this celebration.
International Coffee Day: A Background.
To understand more about International Coffee Day (ICO), it’s firstly important to recognise the organisation behind it: The International Coffee Organisation.
The International Coffee Organisation was founded in London in 1963. It was formed as a way to highlight the economic importance of coffee and how so many people’s livelihoods rely on it.
There are 49 member states of the ICO including Brazil, India and Thailand and these states represent 99% of world coffee production and 67% of world consumption. The ICO’s headquarters is located at 222 Gray’s Inn Road in London. Its current executive director is the Brazilian José Sette.
We have covered the history of coffee before, with this famous beverage believed to have originated courtesy of a heard of goats in Ethiopia around 600 years ago. Since then coffee has travelled around the world at huge pace. International Coffee Day was recorded as an official event in 2014.
International Coffee Day 2020: #CoffeePledge.
This year, International Coffee Day is highlighting the potentially devastating impact coffee culture is having on coffee farmers. And for once, this has little to do with the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The sad reality is that coffee farmers have been poorly paid for a long time now. Coffee continues to be imported on a huge scale to numerous countries across the world. 95 million cups of coffee are consumed every day in the UK alone, with 80% of Brits thought to visit a coffee shop once a week. But whilst this has led prices in the hospitality to shoot up, coffee farmers are not experiencing the benefits of this high demand.
International Coffee Day has always fought this injustice. And for 2020, they are taking this fight further. They are asking everyone, including the Government, those in the hospitality industry and even regular coffee drinkers, to recognise the battle with the #CoffeePledge hashtag. This is to raise awareness of a growing problem and to support a living income for coffee farmers.
Of course, there will be other ways people will mark this event. Recent traditions typically include coffee shops lowering their prices for this solitary day.
Coinadrink’s support of Fairtrade.
A lot of this support will come through highlighting the effectiveness of the Fairtrade organisation. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world.
By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives.
Coinadrink is a proud supporter of the Fairtrade organisation. We believe in giving producers a fair deal and we promise to support ethical production and sustainable development. We are proud to say that many of the products in our vending machines are Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade certified, which means we are helping to protect both farmers and their farms.
How are you celebrating International Coffee Day?
With how popular coffee is, International Coffee Day may simply be celebrated by doing what you do every day! Why not get involved in the comments or on social media and tell us if you’re doing anything special?
Coinadrink Ltd
10-11, Maple Leaf Industrial Estate, Bloxwich Ln, Walsall WS2 8TF
01922 640777
The post Fairtrade Awareness on International Coffee Day 2020. appeared first on Coinadrink.
source https://coin-a-drink.co.uk/2020/09/international-coffee-day-2020/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=2020-09-international-coffee-day-2020
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