Environmental conditions in Brazil may affect the price of your morning cup of coffee downtown, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The USDA 2013-2014 production forecast for Brazilian coffee is 53.1 million bags, 3 million bags lower than the 2012-2013 report. It states dry conditions and high temperatures contributed to the decrease.
David Anderson owns Roastery of Cave Creek, which supplies roasted coffee to businesses such as the Phoenix Public Market Cafe.
Anderson said the drought could affect coffee prices worldwide, though the shortage is centered in Brazil. He also said coffee roasters may be aware of the price increase and drought, but the general public is not.
“Most people have no idea where coffee comes from,” Anderson said. “They don’t realize it’s grown down on the equator.”
He said Brazil is the largest producer in the world. The lack of supplies will increase the price of coffee, Anderson said.
On the Downtown campus, Anderson’s statement that the general public is unaware of the shortage seems to hold true.
“I drink mostly tea. I hadn’t heard of (the drought),” journalism junior Jerod Macdonald-Evoy said. “I drink tea because I heard it was better for your health than coffee.”
Nursing freshman Katherine Benson also hadn’t heard about the drought.
“I brew coffee at home,” she said. “It’s much cheaper that way.”
The amount of coffee consumed internationally has increased steadily for the past four years while total exports in coffee decreased between 2012 and 2013, according to the International Coffee Organization.
The USDA reports that globally, the United States imports the second-largest amount of coffee beans and primarily imports from Brazil, a major producer of Coffea Arabica or Arabica beans.
Arabica coffee beans are primarily used for ground coffee, accounting for more than 60 percent of global coffee production, according to the ICO.
The ICO reports that Brazil experienced a drought from late 2013 until January 2014, which stalled Arabica flowering and growth. The previous year also experienced a decrease in production due to the fungus “coffee rust,” according to the report.
While the drought ended in Brazil, coffee production averages are still predicted to be abnormal, according to the ICO.
In 2010, a pound of ground roast coffee cost $3.81, according to the 2010 consumer price index. In the 2013 index report, a pound cost $5.04.
Stephanie Vasquez, owner of Fair Trade Cafe, said the price of coffee has already gone up.
“The least I’ve seen so far is $1.50 per pound,” She said. “I think it takes a little while for that ripple effect to affect us, so I do foresee that price increase to stay a little longer.”
Vasquez said consumers buy coffee without looking deeper into their purchase; they often do not understand the connection between everyday products and the environment.
“I think if everyone understands the connection between our Earth and our everyday function, we’d all know how great that impact is and this is just a little reminder as to how it does affect us,” Vasquez said.
Contact the reporter at sgauvain@asu.edu
