Coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages, with nearly half a billion cups consumed each year. It's no surprise that coffee production has become a big business, with plantations covering more than 1 million hectares of land in countries around the world. But where does the journey of each cup of coffee originate? Let's explore the main coffee-producing countries in the world and find out. Brazil is a true nerve center of coffee production, producing almost 40% of the world's coffee supply. The plant was first brought to Brazil in the early 18th century by French colonists, and with the increase in popularity of coffee among Europeans, Brazil became the world's largest producer in the 1840s and has been ever since.
Coffee trees produce an average of 2 to 4 kilos of cherries and a good picker can harvest 45 to 90 kilos of coffee cherry per day; this will produce 9 to 18 kilos of coffee beans. Indonesia produces several types of highly sought-after specialty coffees, the most interesting of which is Kopi Luwak. Harvested from the faeces of Asian palm civettes, the beans have a distinctive and understandably unique taste. The process of collecting and collecting beans is quite intensive, and the result is one of the most expensive coffee beans in the world. Surprisingly for some, another major coffee-producing country is Vietnam. The country produces 82,500 metric tons (182,000,000 pounds) of coffee, accounting for 0.8% of the world's coffee.
Coffee grows in about eighty countries in South and Central America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. All coffee produced is of the arabica variety; however, coffee production has declined significantly since the period between 1970 and 1990. Coffee remains a vital part of the Honduran economy, and the coffee industry continuously provides employment and income to a large part of the population. Today, this type of coffee is considered to be the best-selling in cafes and restaurants around the world. However, there was a pause during and after the Vietnam War, but coffee continued to be an important part of the Vietnamese economy, and it remains its only major export product. The beans are grown by small producers in monsoon rain conditions and are often planted together with spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, which give the coffee a spicy taste and aroma. Popular on breakfast tables and with a cafe seemingly on every corner, it's easy to see why coffee production has become such a big business.
So where does each cup of coffee come from? Let's take a look at some of the main countries that produce this beloved beverage.
