The Business of Coffee
Did you know coffee is derived from a fruit? Grown on a tree, about 10 to 12 feet tall, it produces red and purple fruit containing seeds. Berries take 9 months to ripen. Trees can be mistaken for vigorous bushes. The tree grows fruit after 3 to 5 years and continues for 50 to 60 years. Growth is a 2-year cycle, with formulation of second year crops created during the first year. Once roasted, the seeds become a bean, twice the size. The roasting process creates the flavor that has made coffee so popular. The longer the roasting, the darker the bean becomes. The internal chemistry is altered during roasting, producing flavor and aroma. It starts as a green bean. The fruit sugars are caramelized during roasting. Finer grinding results in more intense and fuller flavor.
The coffee tree cannot survive in winter climates or temperate countries – those between the tropics and polar circles. Centered at the equator, coffee trees are widely cultivated in tropical countries. There are 15 billion coffee trees worldwide. One acre of growth equals 15,000 lbs of coffee beans. Coffee trees are best grown in high altitudes. They need lots of water and fertilizer. Processing is expensive and laborious.
Brazil and Columbia produce 40% of coffee grown worldwide. Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico, India and 66 other countries produce the other 60%. 10 million people work on plantations worldwide. The United States is the largest importer with Germany second. Japan, France, Italy and Spain are other top importers. Finland, on a per capita basis actually consumes the most coffee followed by Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Austria. The United States is ranked a distant 16th.
Economically, you can’t grow coffee on less than 3 acres. Costs involved are fertilizer, irrigation, labor – picking and pruning and land value. Owners can fetch $1.00 per pound for ripe cherries and up to $9.00 for extra fancy kona milled beans.
Morning coffee, coffee breaks and coffee houses are part of our social landscape.
Continuing on a prior post about spent coffee grinds making excellent fertilizer, their nitrogen content, which is crucial component of DNA and the proteins plants require to build themselves. Spent coffee grounds also contain potassium, phosphorus and essential trace elements adding to plant development. Rose bushes love them. They grow bigger and more colorful.
Visit Andiamo Coffee
The coffee tree cannot survive in winter climates or temperate countries – those between the tropics and polar circles. Centered at the equator, coffee trees are widely cultivated in tropical countries. There are 15 billion coffee trees worldwide. One acre of growth equals 15,000 lbs of coffee beans. Coffee trees are best grown in high altitudes. They need lots of water and fertilizer. Processing is expensive and laborious.
Brazil and Columbia produce 40% of coffee grown worldwide. Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico, India and 66 other countries produce the other 60%. 10 million people work on plantations worldwide. The United States is the largest importer with Germany second. Japan, France, Italy and Spain are other top importers. Finland, on a per capita basis actually consumes the most coffee followed by Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Austria. The United States is ranked a distant 16th.
Economically, you can’t grow coffee on less than 3 acres. Costs involved are fertilizer, irrigation, labor – picking and pruning and land value. Owners can fetch $1.00 per pound for ripe cherries and up to $9.00 for extra fancy kona milled beans.
Morning coffee, coffee breaks and coffee houses are part of our social landscape.
Continuing on a prior post about spent coffee grinds making excellent fertilizer, their nitrogen content, which is crucial component of DNA and the proteins plants require to build themselves. Spent coffee grounds also contain potassium, phosphorus and essential trace elements adding to plant development. Rose bushes love them. They grow bigger and more colorful.
Visit Andiamo Coffee
posted by Andiamo Coffee @ 6:27 PM
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