If a cup of coffee is your reason for getting out of bed, you’ll be pleased to get up and at ‘em this morning! October 1 is International Coffee Day. Grab a cup of joe and read on to learn more about International Coffee Day and some fun facts about everyone’s favorite pick-me-up!
While coffee has been enjoyed by many generations, the International Coffee Organization didn’t declare International Coffee Day until 2014. Now October 1st of each year is an occasion to celebrate coffee.
According to the National Coffee Association, while nobody knows exactly how or when coffee was discovered, there are many legends about its origin. Coffee grown worldwide can be traced centuries back to the ancient coffee forests of Ethiopia. Legends tell a tale of a goat herder named Kaldi, who is credited with first discovering coffee. The story goes that Kaldi learned of coffee after he noticed that after eating berries from a certain tree, his goats became so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night. After reporting his findings to the local monastery, they made a drink out of the berries and found it kept them alert even through long hours of work and prayer. Word about this magic energy bean started to move – and thus began the start of a journey that would bring coffee beans across the globe.
Coffee has a long voyage before it ends up in your cup. A coffee bean, is actually a seed, which when not roasted and ground for your daily cup, is planted to grow coffee trees. Coffee trees take 3-4 years to bear fruit – coffee cherries. Once the cherries have been picked, they have to be processed and dried. The beans are then milled and exported around the world to be roasted and grinded. Finally, you are able to brew a cup of coffee and enjoy its energetic effects.
Each year, International Coffee Day is centered around a theme. This year, the theme is “promoting the right to a safe and healthy working environment in the coffee supply chain.” The 2023 Coffee Challenge encourages individuals to prepare a cup of coffee, snap a picture, and post to social media using the official hashtag - #CoffeePeople.
Here are some fun facts about coffee to appreciate while you enjoy your daily cup of coffee:
- Behind crude oil, coffee is the 2nd largest traded commodity on earth! Coffee is worth over $100 billion worldwide.
- Coffee stays warm 20% longer when you add cream to it.
- Globally, 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed every day.
- On June 15, 2019, in Colombia, the world’s largest cup of coffee was poured. It was 6,007.04 gallons.
- The nickname “a cup of joe” comes from the idea that coffee is consumed by the average man, or the average joe.
- The average American spends about $2000 on coffee each year.·
Another little-known fact about coffee is that it shares a history with asbestos. Asbestos-containing home appliances were very common in the 1900s and that includes coffee pots. Some coffee pots contained asbestos to help with heat insulation and electric wire insulation. Today, coffee pots have ditched the asbestos in favor of safer, newer materials.
Have you or a loved one been exposed to asbestos and now suffer from an asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma or lung cancer? Help starts here. Call our office today or fill out our free case evaluation.
Enjoy your cup of coffee a little extra today in celebration of International Coffee Day! Stay caffeinated!
