Tuesday September 29, 2015
National Coffee Day is a day where people come together and celebrate everyone involved in creating a delicious cup of coffee. The day, also celebrated in many other countries including Australia and the USA, comes just before the first official ‘International Coffee Day’ on 1st October. International Coffee Day was created ‘to celebrate the coffee sector’s diversity, quality and passion’.
Coffee beans come from the seeds of the fruit from the Coffea plant. These plants require warm temperatures to survive, so are generally farmed as near to the equator as possible.
Coffee is cultivated in over 70 counties including Ethiopia, Columbia and Indonesia, with Brazil being the largest coffee exporting nation.
Growing Regions for Robusta and Arabica Coffee
r = Cultivation of Coffea Robusta
m = Cultivation of Robusta and Arabica
a = Cultivation of Coffea Arabica
Arabica Fruit Branches
There are over 100 different coffee seeds, but the two most commonly grown are Arabica and Robusta.
Arabica is a delicate seed that requires ideal conditions to grow. The price of Arabica is higher because the berries are harder to grow, however the taste is highly favoured and it is seen as the superior choice. Robusta Coffea seeds have a higher yield and less sensitivity to insects, but the taste is slightly bitter due to extra caffeine.
The 10 steps from seed to cup:
The stages before exportation (stage 6) are generally completed in the developing countries where the 
plants are grown. These processes are high intensity and require working long hours, usually in the scorching sun. The Fairtrade Foundation wants to ensure that these farmers and workers get better prices and decent working conditions.
The Fairtrade Foundation helps producers in developing countries to achieve better trading conditions and promotes sustainability. They remark that “every bean can be traced back to the farmers’ cooperative that produced it”.
Our exclusive brand Metro Cup has a Fairtrade design hot cup, to promote Fairtrade certified drinks. This compostable cup features a black background with the Fairtrade logo and even includes information about the Fairtrade Foundation. Find out more here.
Metro Cup also has exclusive UK stock designs, ideal for bustling commuter cafes. Or, why not have a cup printed with our bespoke print service, perfect for advertising your brand name and message. Find our more here.
For more information on the Fairtrade Foundation visit – http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/en/what-is-fairtrade/
For more coffee statistics visit – http://www.coffeetastingclub.com/blog/the-influence-of-coffee
For more information about International Coffee Day visit – http://internationalcoffeeday.org/
