HISTORY OF THE COFFEE TRADE
Grind. Pour. Stir. Sip. For many of us, the morning coffee routine is so cemented into our daily lives it’s almost as second-nature as breathing air. As we take pleasure in the world’s second largest export, most of us fail to consider the journey that coffee took to finally arrive in our cups or the history of the bean that fuels our every day. At Coffee Traders, we want to do better. We want to acknowledge what modern convenience has allowed us to neglect, and learn from our histories so we can continue to grow.
Coffee was first cultivated in Ethiopia, as early as the 9th century, and, by the mid-1500s, it began to grow in popularity globally. This eruption of the coffee industry correlates directly with the expansion of the slave trade. The coffee industry’s violent beginnings are echoed everywhere that coffee is produced, even in modern times – marginalization, land ownership inequality, child labor, indentured servitude, and socio-economic paralysis are both historical and still prevalent issues among coffee farmers.
We want to share the stories of the nations that we source our coffees from. We’ve created a virtual map to serve as a guide through which you can learn about coffee-producing countries across the globe.
So, pour yourself a big cup, and join us as we delve into the complicated history of coffee.
