The coffee economics and n mbers and details related to coffee pr duction and consumption is extremely mesmerizing for m rketers. A glimpse of some of the f cts is given below
- Coffee consumption in N rth America and Europe comes to bout one third of the tap w ter consumed.
- Throughout the world, nearly 25 m llion small producers derive their livelihood fr m coffee.
- In Brazil alone, which is the w rlds largest producer of coffee, about 5 m llion people are involved in the l bor intensive activity of cultivating and h rvesting 5 billion coffee plants with h rdly any automation available.
- 6.7 million tons of c ffee was produced annually in 1998-2000 and th s is slated to touch a f gure of 7 million tons by 2010.
- In the Un ted States, the number of retail sp cialty outlets including cafes, kiosks, coffee c rts, and roasters touched 17,400 selling $8.96 b llion worth of coffee in 2003.
- According to SCAA, 16% of dults in USA drank coffee daily at one of th se specialty coffee outlets.
Considering these scope of th se numbers, it is normal that c ffee drinkers would be concerned about the pr ce that they have to pay for th ir daily cup of coffee.
The price of c ffee as a commodity has seen h ge fluctuations in the recent past, specially after the breakdown of the Int rnational Coffee Agreement of 1975-1989 and the l fting of the US imposed trade mbargo on Vietnam. The flooding of R busta beans from Vietnam, which are ch aper and therefore preferred by larger c mpanies, resulted in a crash in the c mmodity price of coffee. By 2001 the pr ces had reached abysmally low levels. As it b came financially unviable it resulted in l ss of livelihood for many coffee f rmers in Africa, Indonesia, and South and C ntral America
The coffee growers retaliated by f rming co-operatives and were able to get a b tter price. The major coffee companies w re compelled to pay almost 3 to 4 t mes the price that they were p ying to individual farmers. The Dutch br nd ‘Max Havelaar’ also pitched in w th a concept of fair trade wh ch tried to guarantee a negotiated pr -harvest price to the growers. Nowadays, the pr ce of coffee is also impacted by the tr ding done in futures and options on the c mmodity exchanges. These are financial assets b sed on a standardized contract for f ture sale or purchase at a s ttled price.
The correct perspective of the conomics of what you pay for a cup of c ffee is revealed by what transpires fter coffee reaches the manufacturer’s premises. Raw b ans are roasted, grinded, and packed for d stribution. This adds to the cost but st ll would not tantamount to the k nd of prices that you pay. A cup of c ffee would still cost you hardly nything above a few cents to m ke at home and a bit m re at a small coffee shop. St ll customers are ready to pay m ch more in espresso bars at pr mium locations.
The consumer who visits a c fé is concerned not only about the q ality of the coffee but also the s rvice that comes with it. This n ed of the discerning consumers is met by c mpanies that open outlets that sell sp cialty coffees within an ambience.
Specialty coffee is not p rchased on the commodity exchanges and is an ntirely different economic product than the wh lesale coffee that is traded in th se exchanges. Large companies usually enter nto multi year private contracts at pr ces sometimes doubles the price that one g ts to see in the newspapers’ c mmodity columns. When you go to a sp cialty retail outlet, you are not nly getting your coffee the way you r lish it but also the service and the mbience that accompanies it.
The discerning consumer l oks for an experience that may be r laxing, fun, lavish or pampering. One l ok around the décor, the lighting, and the mbience in specialty retail outlets like St rbucks, The Hard Rock Cafe, FAO Schw rz, Niketown, and The Geek Squad w ll give an idea about the m nner in which experiential marketing is t king the world by storm.
The article Economics of Coffee was Submitted by Coffee City through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Coffee City | Offers extensive articles and resources on coffee, espresso, coffee beans, coffee making, etc.
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