This document discusses coffee culture and the global coffee commodity chain. It notes that coffee physically, symbolically, and economically connects consumers worldwide. While consumer demand is growing, coffee farmers and processors struggle financially. Farmers receive only $0.11 per kilo but need $1.10 to survive. Processors are paid less than $1 per day. The document also discusses how coffee houses historically caused controversies and how fair trade aims to help farmers but has limitations like oversupply and contractual obligations.

1. Kristina Waterman
Cultural Anthropology
Dickerson-Putman
April 22, 2015
Coffee Culture
1. Coffee as a commodity has been seen all over the globe and there are aspects of it that link
the consumers together. The linkages of coffee consumers are physical, symbolical, and
economical. Physically the connection is ingesting the nutrients from the coffee beans. No
matter what type of coffee the person is tasting there are similar nutrients that can be found
all over the world. Another aspect of coffee that links consumers physically is its ability to
keep the consumer awake with caffeine. Caffeine, especially in the United States is very big
and few can go without it. Even the people that don’t drink coffee still catch the strong aroma
that is found all over the world. Another aspect of coffee that links consumers are the
symbolic meanings. In many cultures coffee is found to have ritual practices. For example, in
the United States many people need their coffee right when they get out of bed and they
make it a habit to do that every morning. In Ethiopia there is a coffee ceremony in which the
beans are roasted in front of the guest so everyone can appreciate the aroma. That particular
ceremony symbolizes friendship. The last aspect of coffee that links consumers is its
economic value. Consumers all over the globe are wanting more and more coffee and with
that comes more and more farmers producing it and selling it driving the economy up. The
increase in consumers’ needs also drives producers to create different types of coffee and
therefore getting consumers to want even more.

2. 2. Coffee has caused controversies throughout history. In one particular region in the Middle
East in the 16th century coffee houses became a gathering place for many different
backgrounds and classes. At the time society did not offer non-religious gathering places, and
leaders and officials became very angry. Followers of the Qur’an also became very angry
because it is prohibited that anyone consumes food that has been charred and coffee beans
are roasted. Eventually coffee drinking was prohibited, but that did not stop it. Another
example of how coffee has been controversial is in the USA around 1783. When the Boston
Tea party occurred because the British was overtaxing Americans. Americans refused to buy
tea because it was not only overpriced, but represented British culture that patriots so yearned
to get rid of. The taxes lead patriots to coffee and coffee houses around that time became big
meeting places. The Green Dragon Tavern specifically, became known as the “Headquarters
of the American Revolution” (2011, 54). Coffee houses in any time period because known as
meeting places to discuss important things or just relax very commonly how we use them
today in America.
3. Like I have said before, consumers’ needs of coffee are growing. With consumers wanting
more it would seem like the coffee producer countries like Ethiopia, one of the biggest coffee
producers, would be making a lot of money. But in fact many of the people who produce,
pick, and process this commodity are struggling for many basic needs. Ethiopia has about 85
million people and about 15 million of its inhabitants rely on coffee production as their main
source of income. Taking care of a coffee plant is not easy there are many factors that go
into it such as: soil type, wind exposure, sunlight, temperature, water levels, elevation, and
pests and diseases. Not only is it hard to get the perfect coffee bean it take up to 5 years to

3. have a plant mature enough to harvest. For each kilo a farmer produces they will get about 11
cents for. To improve their way of living and provide for their families they need about
$1.10. So farmers are getting far less than what they need to survive. Not only is this a
problem for farmers but also for processers and marketers. Great coffee is dependent on each
bean being perfect and if one is not then it can ruin the whole batch. The processers have to
go through piles and piles of these beans making sure each bad bean is thrown out to insure
the perfect cup of coffee for the consumer. These processors get paid less than a dollar a day
for their efforts. The marketers have to put in a lot of effort for very little reward as well. In
the movie, Tadeese Meskela, a general manager for Oromia Coffee Farmers Co-operation
Union, has to travel around the world hoping someone will want his coffee to ensure his
farmers will be getting paid something.
4. The conventional commodity chain and fair trade have similarities and differences a like. A
commodity chain is described as “a network of labor and production processes that result in a
finished commodity” (2011, 123). In other words a commodity chain is very similar to a
factory where all parts are being made in different areas, but come together to be assembled
in the factory. Fair Trade is an organized movement for the purpose in developing countries.
The purposes of these two processes are to assist developing counties achieve better living
conditions and be able to sustain themselves. Specifically the commodity chain’s true
purpose is to provide jobs. One of the advantages of the commodity chain is that each actor
in the chain has the opportunity to gain income, but a disadvantage to that is that the relative
power in the chain influences how much money each link in the chain gets. So the actor in
the chain that has the power will give itself more money and choses each pay for the other

4. actors. Some advantages of Fair Trade are that the smallholder coffee farmers who receive
the fair trade prices do much better economically than their peers. The disadvantage is that
there is a delay of the payment for farmers after the coffee is sold. Farmers also have to abide
by the fair trade contracts that specify how much of the coffee has to get sold and if the
farmer decides to sell it elsewhere then they may not meet their quota and can result in the
end of the fair trade relationship. Not only are there contracts to maintain, but also
certifications that must be bought and that takes time and money. The worst thing about fair
trade is that there is more fair trade coffee that is being produced than what will be sold at
fair trade prices. The farmers are forced to sell at a lower wage crippling their pays even
further. The commodity chain and fair trade both have their ups and downs, but both give the
people of this world jobs to help sustain a better life for themselves.