As a person who doesn’t drink coffee, I started with my curiosity about coffee drinkers’ lifestyles. I found out that in coffee chain shops, consumers can buy coffee beans branded under the shop's name. Their understanding of the coffee information comes from the branding and the assistance of salespeople.
Here, I started to dig into the coffee supply chain. I never thought that producing coffee affects a big range of the world, so I researched the coffee supply chain and identified three key areas of impact: environmental, social, and economic.
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The research focuses on the impact of man-made and natural disasters on coffee cultivation, which results in decreased biodiversity, soil erosion, and water shortages, affecting both ecosystems and farmers' livelihoods. The root cause of these problems is the push for increased coffee production, often neglecting environmental sustainability.
I've found widespread labor exploitation in the global coffee industry, particularly affecting child and adult workers. To address these issues, my recommendations include implementing fair and sustainable practices, utilizing blockchain for transparency, advocating for fair trade, and emphasizing ethical business conduct.
In my findings, coffee prices have sharply risen, including a 7.6% increase in the cost of a cup and a 20.3% surge in home coffee prices in July. Brazil, which is the largest coffee producer in the world, faces rising fuel costs and extreme weather, prompting businesses to increase prices to manage higher expenses and ensure fair wages for workers amid inflation.