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COFFEE FACTS
Coffee consumption
Coffee is the most popular drink worldwide with around two billion cups consumed every day
In 2007, consumers spent £720 million on coffee
In the UK, we drink approximately 70 million cups of coffee per day
85% of coffee drinkers in the UK take milk in their coffee and 57% add sugar
Coffee growing
Generally, coffee is grown within 1,000 miles of the equator, from the Tropic of Cancer in the north, to the Tropic of Capricorn in the south
Coffee grows in more than 50 countries and is the second largest export in the world after oil (in dollar value)
Central and South America produce approximately two thirds of the world's coffee supply
The main suppliers of coffee in the world are Brazil, Colombia and Vietnam, with Brazil contributing around 30% of the total
Hawaii is the only US state in which coffee is grown commercially
The best soil for growing coffee consists of leaf mould, other organic matter and disintegrated volcanic rock!
The coffee tree produces its first full crop when it is about five years old. Thereafter it produces consistently for 15 to 20 years
There are two main commercial types of coffee bean - these are Robusta and Arabica. Robusta coffee grows best at lower altitudes whereas Arabica is better suited to higher altitudes
Coffee berries do not ripen uniformly. The same branch may display ripe red berries, unripe green berries and overripe black berries. Conscientious pickers select only the ripe berries
To make a roasted pound of coffee it takes around 2,000 Arabica coffee cherries. With two beans per cherry - this means around 4,000 beans are in a single pound of coffee
It takes 42 coffee beans to make an espresso
A mature coffee tree will produce one to two pounds of coffee per growing season
When it is in bloom, the coffee tree is covered with 30,000 white flowers which begin to develop into fruit after 24 - 36 hours
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