Introduction to Module 3 - The Coffee Trade

'Going out for coffee' is the hub around which the social lives of millions of people in the West revolve. As the 2nd largest traded commodity in the world behind oil, coffee is also the most widely consumed beverage. Whether in its roast and ground form, suiting people who appreciate the subtle nuances of brewing coffee in a plunger or home espresso machine, or in its instant form, suiting convenient mass consumption, it is lucrative big business for the 4 corporations that control half the global trade.

As legend tells, coffee first originated in either Yemen or Ethiopia (depending on who you talk to), where a mysterious order of mystics noted the heightened energy levels their goats were experiencing when eating the berries of coffee bushes. The mystics found out that chewing the beans for that much sought after caffeine hit, enabled them to read their scriptures late into the night. In its dried 'green bean' form, coffee was first traded from the Yemeni port of Mocha, and was brought to Java along the ancient merchant spice routes.

Today’s coffee trade involves around 100 million people from countries around the tropical belt of the world, namely: Brazil, Indonesia, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Columbia. A long term decline in the price of beans, power imbalances in favour of the large corporations and ongoing instability has spelt disaster for many farmers and their families, most of which cannot afford adequate food, education and medicine. Price surges do little to offset the ongoing crisis,  with many isolated farmers unaware of stock exchange prices and often exploited by coyotes, local middlemen.

In teaching this lesson, students will gain an understanding of the differences in the bustling coffee trade in Australia and New Zealand in comparison to the struggle of production in poorer countries. Focusing on such things as the disparity between what we pay for coffee in comparison to what farmers get paid, and the fact that coffee beans come from poor countries and brands are based in rich countries, allows students to contextualise further what it means to be a global citizen. Activities include making graphs to show price differences, analysis of real life case studies of both Fairtrade and non-Fairtrade farmers, and much more.

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