Black Coffee (film)
Encyclopedia
Black Coffee is a 2005 Canadian documentary film examining the complicated history of coffee
and detailing its political, social, and economic influence from the past to the present day.
The film details how coffee is the second most traded legal commodity in the world, surpassed by oil
. However, only one cent of a $2 cup of coffee goes to the grower. This inequality has helped shape the history of continents and the Cold War
.
Brazil
has been adversely effected by deregulation in the 1990s, which has seen boom and bust cycles in the coffee market. This in combination with industrial scale production has made the price of green coffee bean
s historically low and places additional financial pressure on farmers. In an attempt to combat this experts have sought to create a higher quality Brazilian blend that can be sold at higher prices.
In 1773 coffee was marginal in North America
but after the Boston Tea Party
ones political affiliation and patriotism could increasingly be determined by whether you drank coffee or tea
. Coffee's mass production in the America's started when the wife of the governor for French Guinea
gave her departing Brazilian lover Francisco Polletta flowers with hidden fertile coffee beans as exporting them was illegal. Resulting in Brazil becoming the world powerhouse in coffee production and being a driving force in its modernization, decimation of rain forest and slave trade. Creating vast wealth for the coffee barons and making Brazil the last country in the America's to abolish slavery.
In the early 19th century most people would roast their own beans. When the self-emptying roaster and the paper bag
were invented, John Arbuckle saw an opportunity to sell roasted coffee to the masses and he created a machine "filled, weighed, sealed and labeled coffee in paper packages." "Arbuckle Ariosa Coffee" was sold nationwide and went with the settlers and helped "win the west." J. A. Folger
and his brothers go to San Francisco for the gold rush
but he ends up staying in the city and being hired as a carpenter for a coffee, spice grinder. Folger soon realizes a fortune could be made by roasting and grinding coffee for prospectors who didn't have the luxuries of home.
The boom, bust cycles deeply affected South American economies growing coffee. When Brazil begins overproducing coffee this led very low prices and the real possibility of revolt, so Brazil attempts to hold back coffee production to boost the price of coffee. However, plantation owners grow even more coffee in response to the artificially higher prices and this crashes the coffee market; only a few weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929
which led to the Great Depression
. The coffee crash topples the Brazilian government in the Revolution of 1930 and the coffee barons install a new strong man government led by Getúlio Vargas
. He orders mass burning of coffee stockpiles with no effect on coffee prices.
During the depression independent coffee brands go bankrupt or are consolidated by the large brands. In World War II
instant coffee
became the preferred way to keep soldiers alert and warm, and coffee control measures were put in action in South America because of concerns it may side with the Nazis if its economy continued to languish. So the United States bought out Brazilian coffee production from 1941 to 1943. When the war was over American coffee companies began a price war over instant coffee, resulting in cheaper beans and diluted coffee. Canadians on the other hand had standard brewed Tim Hortons
coffee to go with their donut
s, while Maxwell House
launches one of the longest running and most successful advertising campaigns for coffee. Consumers continue to drink less coffee, so caffeine-free Sanka
coffee is created in an effort to stimulate demand.
In the mid-1950s bad weather in Brazil resulted in a higher price in coffee and congressional hearings. At the 1950 hearings an advocate for South America clarified that there are large obstacles and much development still needed in South America, and if a fair price for coffee was established it would lift millions out of poverty. This speech was largely ignored by coffee producers and consumers; so coffee growing countries create Juan Valdez
in an effort to educate the American consumer and the Pan-American Coffee Bureau popularizes the term coffee break
. However, despite higher consumption the price remains low as Brazil continues to overproduce; and calls are made for Getúlio Vargas' impeachment. Vargas writes a letter regarding the imposed production of coffee on his country and then commits suicide.
This underlines an era of communism in South America where coffee plantations are taken over and the CIA sponsors coups to take back the coffee producing countries. In order to stem communist revolutions in South America, the United States enters into the International Coffee Agreement
. Introducing a quota system that limits the amount countries import and export in order to keep the price stable and sustainable, but there is constant disagreement between countries how much they should be allowed to import, and in 1989 with end of the Cold War
the system ended causing a dramatic drop in prices. Brazil responds by modernizing and automating its coffee production; allowing for profitability even when prices drop; and Vietnam's coffee production increases dramatically in a decade. Causing a crisis in many South American and Central American countries that have not modernized their coffee plantations.
These consequences make headlines when 14 Mexican coffee farmers die as they try to cross the border into Arizona
looking for work. Slowly there is increasing awareness among consumers of where their coffee is grown and who benefits from it.
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
and detailing its political, social, and economic influence from the past to the present day.
The film details how coffee is the second most traded legal commodity in the world, surpassed by oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
. However, only one cent of a $2 cup of coffee goes to the grower. This inequality has helped shape the history of continents and the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
Content
- Note: This covers the last half.
Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
has been adversely effected by deregulation in the 1990s, which has seen boom and bust cycles in the coffee market. This in combination with industrial scale production has made the price of green coffee bean
Coffee bean
A coffee bean is a seed of a coffee plant. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit often referred to as a cherry. Even though they are seeds, they are referred to as 'beans' because of their resemblance to true beans. The fruits - coffee cherries or coffee berries - most commonly contain two...
s historically low and places additional financial pressure on farmers. In an attempt to combat this experts have sought to create a higher quality Brazilian blend that can be sold at higher prices.
In 1773 coffee was marginal in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
but after the Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
ones political affiliation and patriotism could increasingly be determined by whether you drank coffee or tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
. Coffee's mass production in the America's started when the wife of the governor for French Guinea
French Guinea
French Guinea was a French colonial possession in West Africa. Its borders, while changed over time, were in 1958 those of the independent nation of Guinea....
gave her departing Brazilian lover Francisco Polletta flowers with hidden fertile coffee beans as exporting them was illegal. Resulting in Brazil becoming the world powerhouse in coffee production and being a driving force in its modernization, decimation of rain forest and slave trade. Creating vast wealth for the coffee barons and making Brazil the last country in the America's to abolish slavery.
In the early 19th century most people would roast their own beans. When the self-emptying roaster and the paper bag
Paper bag
A paper bag or paper sack is a preformed container made of paper, usually with an opening on one side. It can be one layer of paper or multiple layers of paper and other flexible materials. A bag is used for packaging and/or carrying items....
were invented, John Arbuckle saw an opportunity to sell roasted coffee to the masses and he created a machine "filled, weighed, sealed and labeled coffee in paper packages." "Arbuckle Ariosa Coffee" was sold nationwide and went with the settlers and helped "win the west." J. A. Folger
J. A. Folger
James Athearn Folger was the founder of the Folgers Coffee Company.-Early years:Folger was born in Nantucket, Massachusetts, the son of Samuel Brown Folger and Nancy Hill. His father was a master blacksmith who had invested in a try works and bought two ships. They had nine children of which...
and his brothers go to San Francisco for the gold rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
but he ends up staying in the city and being hired as a carpenter for a coffee, spice grinder. Folger soon realizes a fortune could be made by roasting and grinding coffee for prospectors who didn't have the luxuries of home.
The boom, bust cycles deeply affected South American economies growing coffee. When Brazil begins overproducing coffee this led very low prices and the real possibility of revolt, so Brazil attempts to hold back coffee production to boost the price of coffee. However, plantation owners grow even more coffee in response to the artificially higher prices and this crashes the coffee market; only a few weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929
Wall Street Crash of 1929
The Wall Street Crash of 1929 , also known as the Great Crash, and the Stock Market Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the United States, taking into consideration the full extent and duration of its fallout...
which led to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. The coffee crash topples the Brazilian government in the Revolution of 1930 and the coffee barons install a new strong man government led by Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas served as President of Brazil, first as dictator, from 1930 to 1945, and in a democratically elected term from 1951 until his suicide in 1954. Vargas led Brazil for 18 years, the most for any President, and second in Brazilian history to Emperor Pedro II...
. He orders mass burning of coffee stockpiles with no effect on coffee prices.
During the depression independent coffee brands go bankrupt or are consolidated by the large brands. In World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
instant coffee
Instant coffee
Instant coffee, also called soluble coffee and coffee powder, is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans. Instant coffee is commercially prepared by either freeze-drying or spray drying, after which it can be rehydrated...
became the preferred way to keep soldiers alert and warm, and coffee control measures were put in action in South America because of concerns it may side with the Nazis if its economy continued to languish. So the United States bought out Brazilian coffee production from 1941 to 1943. When the war was over American coffee companies began a price war over instant coffee, resulting in cheaper beans and diluted coffee. Canadians on the other hand had standard brewed Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
coffee to go with their donut
DONUT
DONUT was an experiment at Fermilab dedicated to the search for tau neutrino interactions. Even though the detector operated only during a few months in the summer of 1997, it was largely successful. By detecting the tau neutrino, it confirmed the existence of the last lepton predicted by the...
s, while Maxwell House
Maxwell House
Maxwell House is a brand of coffee manufactured by a like-named division of Kraft Foods. Introduced in 1892, it is named in honor of the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. For many years until the late 1980s it was the largest-selling coffee in the U.S. and is currently second behind...
launches one of the longest running and most successful advertising campaigns for coffee. Consumers continue to drink less coffee, so caffeine-free Sanka
Sanka
Sanka is a brand of instant decaffeinated coffee, sold around the world, and was one of the earliest decaffeinated varieties. Sanka is distributed in the United States by Kraft Foods.-History:...
coffee is created in an effort to stimulate demand.
In the mid-1950s bad weather in Brazil resulted in a higher price in coffee and congressional hearings. At the 1950 hearings an advocate for South America clarified that there are large obstacles and much development still needed in South America, and if a fair price for coffee was established it would lift millions out of poverty. This speech was largely ignored by coffee producers and consumers; so coffee growing countries create Juan Valdez
Juan Valdez
Juan Valdez is a famous fictional character that has appeared in advertisements for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia since 1959, representing the Colombian coffee farmer. The advertisements were designed by the Doyle Dane Bernbach ad agency, with the goal of distinguishing...
in an effort to educate the American consumer and the Pan-American Coffee Bureau popularizes the term coffee break
Coffee Break
Coffee Break is an online book on the NCBI Bookshelf created and maintained by staff at NCBI, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. The book consists of small chapters which are each written about a different topic in the world of Biomedicine. There are currently 32 chapters, and it was...
. However, despite higher consumption the price remains low as Brazil continues to overproduce; and calls are made for Getúlio Vargas' impeachment. Vargas writes a letter regarding the imposed production of coffee on his country and then commits suicide.
This underlines an era of communism in South America where coffee plantations are taken over and the CIA sponsors coups to take back the coffee producing countries. In order to stem communist revolutions in South America, the United States enters into the International Coffee Agreement
International Coffee Agreement
The International Coffee Agreement is an international commodity agreement aimed to achieve a reasonable balance between the supply and demand of coffee at a higher price than would otherwise be the case. Export quotas are the principal instruments used...
. Introducing a quota system that limits the amount countries import and export in order to keep the price stable and sustainable, but there is constant disagreement between countries how much they should be allowed to import, and in 1989 with end of the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
the system ended causing a dramatic drop in prices. Brazil responds by modernizing and automating its coffee production; allowing for profitability even when prices drop; and Vietnam's coffee production increases dramatically in a decade. Causing a crisis in many South American and Central American countries that have not modernized their coffee plantations.
These consequences make headlines when 14 Mexican coffee farmers die as they try to cross the border into Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
looking for work. Slowly there is increasing awareness among consumers of where their coffee is grown and who benefits from it.
See also
- Black Gold (2006)
- One CupOne Cup (Film)One Cup is an Australian short documentary film, produced and released by Scarab Studio & . Its crew included Dominic Allen, Joel Betts, , Greta Costello, Dylan Tromp....
(2006)