Your daily cup of coffee could soon become a luxury treat, predict industry insiders, as a recent report shows that more than half of coffee imports into the EU come from countries that are both vulnerable to the climate crisis and lack the resources to adapt to changes in farming conditions.
According to a report by consultancy firm Foresight Transitions released in May, nearly 20 per cent of the 2.7 million tonnes of coffee imported into the EU each year comes from what have been identified as “low readiness countries” which are most at risk of climate disaster.
The International Coffee Organisation, an intergovernmental sector watchdog, says the coffee industry in the EU relies almost entirely on imports from low readiness countries as weather conditions on the continent do not support commercial coffee growing.
The UK also imports its beans from the same affected countries.
Natalia Moozarmi, founder of London-based wholesaler and retailer Element Coffee, explained that she only imports coffee from certain countries “after careful research into sustainable and transparent supply chains.”
Brazil exports the highest volume of coffee to Europe, according to Foresight Transitions, which is the point of origin for one of Moozarmi’s best selling blends.
“In the last year alone, however, we have seen a huge spike in costs – particularly Brazil – due to the heavy frost and poor harvest of previous years,” she said.
The climate crisis is set to worsen adverse weather conditions, particularly impacting coffee farmers and their yields of healthy coffee which increases the scarcity and cost of wholesale coffee. The wholesale price of coffee has increased more than 7 per cent since the beginning of the year.
For many coffee retailers, that means higher prices for customers and likely fewer sales.
“Although it will be a tough pill to swallow, we will all have to accept that eventually coffee will become far more of a luxury than an easy 3 a day commodity,” said Moorzami.
