- Commitment
Coffee in a safe?
I recently read on a financial website that (according to dpa) coffee is one of the most frequently stolen items, especially beans in large packages. As a result, they are increasingly being locked away. As I write this, such news is also appearing in the relevant major news formats. Is this still the summer slump or is it actually something that should give us pause for thought?
Barbara Beiertz
Coffee is valuable.
There’s no question about it: Coffee plays an important role in our lives – after all, it’s the most popular drink in Germany (and not just among us coffee lovers). But that’s not all: Organic coffee such as Mount Hagen, which is grown in agroforestry under shade trees, helps combat the effects of climate change, such as soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. Not to mention the positive effects such as the avoidance of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the associated greater independence of farmers, and the quality of the coffee. Organic or Demeter coffee is therefore valuable. A tremendous amount of work, passion, and care goes into it – and with it, a lot of money. Which brings us to the current very high coffee prices.
Why is coffee so expensive?
The short version: High coffee prices are largely due to crop failures, e.g., in Brazil, caused by extreme weather conditions, which in turn are caused by climate change.* Green coffee is therefore becoming more expensive on the stock markets. Other factors also play a role, such as certain EU laws that increase bureaucratic red tape and the enormous increase in coffee consumption in China and India. Ultimately, all of these factors have contributed to the rise in coffee prices. However, there is another aspect that is worth considering.
Who earns how much from coffee?
Let’s be honest: No one likes to reveal their business secrets. This is no different when it comes to coffee, which is why there are hardly any reliable figures on margins and earnings along the coffee value chain. What is certain, however, is that coffee farmers generally receive the smallest share of the retail price. Some studies cite a figure of 0.41 cents per kilogram, which does not even take into account the risk of cultivation and the work of family members. According to this study, the trade in coffee capsules is the most profitable.**
Organic Fairtrade coffee is our solution.
It probably comes as no surprise that we don’t sell coffee capsules because of the waste they generate. However, many years ago we also decided to only produce fair trade coffee so that “our” farmers are guaranteed to benefit more from their work. The “greed is cool” mentality has never been our thing. Coffee that doesn’t allow a farmer to feed his family simply doesn’t taste good. At least not to us.
But back to coffee theft: Coffee is a luxury – which is why some people put it in a display case. However, coffee is also an elixir of life, a pleasure that should be available to everyone. And its price is more a matter of perspective: If something is so valuable, then it is worth its price (and that is not expensive).
Let us know in the comments what you think. Does coffee need to be stored in a safe?
*www.zdfheute.de/video/heute-journal/kaffee-immer-teurer-100.html
**Bureau d’Analyse Sociétale d’Internet Collectif (kurz BASIC), www.infosperber.ch/wirtschaft/konsum/vom-strauch-zum-regal-wer-am-kaffee-wie-viel-verdient/
