COFFEE Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)     The Role of Coffee in the Global Economy Coffee is the world's second most valuable traded commodity, behind only petroleum. There are approximately 25 million farmers and coffee workers in over 50 countries involved in producing coffee around the world. Coffee was traditionally developed as a colonial cash crop, planted by serfs or wage laborers in tropical climates on large plantations of landowners for sale in colonial countries. Coffee producers, like most agricultural workers around the world, are kept in a cycle of poverty and debt by the current global economy designed to exploit cheap labor and keep consumer prices low. An estimated 11 million hectares of the world's farmland are dedicated to coffee cultivation. The largest producer and exporter is Brazil, followed by Colombia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Mexico. Around the globe, the annual consumption of coffee has expanded to 12 billion pounds.   Coffee  · About Us  · Privacy Policy  · Return Policy · Ordering and Shipping FAQ · Coffee Glossary · Coffee History · Site Map  · Links Copyright © 2005 Coffee Service Plus, 410 Andbro Drive, Pitman, NJ 08071