COFFEE

Legend has it that coffee was first found in Ethiopia, Africa. Coffee was first introduced into Europe in 1516. It reached Italy in the early 17th century.

In 1683, the Ottomans ended their siege of Vienna, Austria, and gave up their invasion of Europe. Viennese survivors tasted strange beans found in the Ottomans' camp: coffee beans. Viennese bakers made crescent-shaped pastries called croissants to celebrate the end of the siege. Coffee quickly became a popular drink in coffee houses throughout Europe, and coffee houses became popular for business decisions.

Coffee was introduced into Brazil by the Dutch East India Company in the early 1700s and soon became vital to the country's economy. It is the fruit of the coffee tree, an evergreen that reaches a height of 2-3 m (6.6 - 9.9 ft). After or at the same time as flowering, the branches bear green 'cherries' that ripen to red. The cherries split open to reveal two seeds - the coffee beans - which are then washed, dried, and roasted. The first trees were planted in 1727.

By the end of the 17th century, coffee houses were to be found in most of the cities of Europe and in North America. The first English coffee house opened in Oxford in 1650, and is still doing business today as the Queens Lane Coffee House. London opened a coffee house in 1652. Politicians, businessmen and people of wealth and influence met there to do business and read the newspapers. They also discussed literature, theatre and affairs of the day.

By 1900 Brazil supplied more than 75 per cent of world demand. The fertility of the land around the city of Sao Paulo, the centre of the Brazilian coffee industry, and the cheapness of the labour force, who lived in dire poverty, encouraged constantly increasing production. Two bumper crops were grown between 1927 and 1929 and efforts of the Brazilian Coffee Institute to restrict sales failed. Coffee flooded world markets and prices plummeted.

The Dutch East India Company had also introduced coffee to their colonies elsewhere in South America and the Caribbean. Other notable coffee-growing regions are the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, the southwest of Kenya, and Indonesia. In 1993 Brazil remained the top coffee exporter, selling 18,501,000 bags or 1,110,060 tonnes. It was followed by Colombia at 13,570,000 bags or 814,200 tonnes. Ecuador came third, with 1,508,000 bags or 90,480 tonnes, and fourth was Peru, at 1,031,001 bags or 61,860 tonnes.

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