Coffee plants are actually a type of fruit, and the fruits that grow on the plants are called coffee cherries. Coffee is one of the most extensively traded commodities in the world, and it's not hard to see why when you look at some interesting facts about coffee and its history.
1: Coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world
Coffee is second to water as the most popular drink in the world. It’s consumed by more than 500 million people worldwide, and there are over 1 billion cups of coffee consumed every day.
Today, there are two main types of coffee you can choose from: arabica and robusto. Arabica beans come from a tropical tree native to Ethiopia that produces low yields but high-quality beans. Robusta beans come from the Rubiaceae family of trees native to Africa and Asia. Robusta beans produce higher yields, but their taste is considered inferior to Arabica beans.
2: Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world (Oil is first)
Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the world, right after oil.
The coffee industry is worth $100 billion dollars and has been growing at 6% annually for the last decade. There are over 1 billion coffee drinkers around the world, with consumption increasing in places where tea was once predominant such as China, India and Russia.
3: The coffee tree has been around for thousands of years and originated in Ethiopia
The history of coffee traces back to the ninth century, when an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi noticed his normally calm goats began to jump around, and prance in a frisky manner after eating the leaves and berries of a certain tree.
The tree was a coffee tree. The goats, who normally didn’t like coffee, couldn’t get enough of it.
Kaldi decided to try some of the berries himself and found that they gave him energy. He brought some home and shared them with friends and family. Soon, people from all over wanted to try these mysterious berries
4: The largest coffee producing country is Brazil, followed by Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia
The coffee beans are the seeds of a cherry-like fruit of the coffee plant, growing in tropical climates near the equator. The two main species of coffee plants are Arabica and Robusta. Within these two main species, there are high-yield cultivars that are more resistant to disease.
One of the earliest records of coffee cultivation comes from Ethiopia, which dates back to 800 AD. Today, Brazil is one of the leading countries in coffee production, followed by Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia.
Conclusion: If you're a coffee aficionado, then you probably already know a lot of these interesting facts. However, if you are new to the world of coffee, then it may be news to you that the caffeine in your morning cup of joe can help prevent sunburn and keep your skin looking young. Coffee is popular with people all around the world, so we hope that our list has provided you some insight into this caffeinated wonder.
