All About Coffee Part 39

The leading commercial coffees of the world are listed in the accompanying commercial coffee chart, which shows at a glance their general trade character. The cultural methods of the producing countries are discussed in chapter XX; statistics in chapter XXII; and the trade characteristics, in detail, in chapter XXIV, which considers also countries and coffees not so important in a commercial sense. Mexico is the princ.i.p.al producing country in the northern part of the western continent, and Brazil in the southern part. In Africa, the eastern coast furnishes the greater part of the supply; while in Asia, the Netherlands Indies, British India, and Arabia lead.

Within the last two decades there has been an expansion of the production areas in South America, Africa, and in southeastern Asia; and a contraction in British India and the Netherlands Indies.

_The Shifting Coffee Currents of the World_

Seldom does the coffee drinker realize how the ends of the earth are drawn upon to bring the perfected beverage to his lips. The trail that ends in his breakfast cup, if followed back, would be found to go a devious and winding way, soon splitting up into half-a-dozen or more straggling branches that would lead to as many widely scattered regions.

If he could mount to a point where he could enjoy a bird's-eye view of these and a hundred kindred trails, he would find an intricate criss-cross of streamlets and rivers of coffee forming a tangled pattern over the tropics and reaching out north and south to all civilized countries. This would be a picture of the coffee trade of the world.

It would be a motion picture, with the rivulets swelling larger at certain seasons, but seldom drying up entirely at any time. In the main the streamlets and rivers keep pretty much the same direction and volume one year after another, but then there is also a quiet shifting of these currents. Some grow larger, and others diminish gradually until they fade out entirely. In one of the regions from which they take their source a tree disease may cause a decline; in another, a hurricane may lay the industry low at one quick stroke; and in still another, a rival crop may drain away the life-blood of capital. But for the most part, when times are normal, the shift is gradual; for international trade is conservative, and likes to run where it finds a well-worn channel.

In recent times, of course, the big disturbing element in the coffee trade was the World War. Whole countries were cut out of the market, shipping was drained away from every sea lane, stocks were piled high in exporting ports, prices were fixed, imports were sharply restricted, and the whole business of coffee trading was thrown out of joint. To what extent has the world returned to normal in this trade? Were the stoppages in trade merely temporary suspensions, or are they to prove permanent? How are the old, long-worn channels filling up again, now that the dams have been taken away?

We are now far enough removed from the war to begin to answer these questions. We find our answer in the export figures of the chief producing countries, which for the most part are now available in detail for one or two post-war years. These figures are given in the tables below; and for comparison, there are also given figures showing the distribution of exports in 1913 and in an earlier year near the beginning of the century. These figures, of course, do not necessarily give an accurate index to normal trade; as in any given year some abnormal happening, such as an exceptionally large crop or a revolution, may affect exports drastically as compared with years before and after.

But normally the proportions of a country's exports going to its various customers are fairly constant one year after another, and can be taken for any given year as showing approximately the coffee currents of that period.

The figures following are for the calendar year unless the fiscal year is indicated. Where figures could not be obtained from the original statistical publications, they have been supplied as far as possible from consular reports.

BRAZIL. The war naturally increased the dependence of Brazil on its chief customer, and the proportion of the total crop coming to this country since the war has continued to be large. Shipments to United States ports in 1920 represented about fifty-four percent of the total exports. Figures for that year indicate also that France and Belgium were working back to their normal trade; but that Spain, Great Britain, and the Netherlands were taking much less coffee than in the year just before the war. Germany was buying strongly again, her purchases of 72,000,000 pounds being about half as much as in 1913. Shipments to Italy were four times as heavy as in 1913. The natural return to normal was much interfered with by speculation and valorization. Brazil seems to have come through the cataclysmic period of the war in better style than might have been expected.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM BRAZIL 1900 1913 1920 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds United States 566,686,345 650,071,337 826,425,340 France 78,408,862 244,295,282 203,694,212 Great Britain 6,442,739 32,559,715 9,597,378 Germany 235,131,881 246,767,144 72,196,934 Aus.-Hungary 71,696,556 134,495,310 Netherlands 102,711,887 196,169,240 49,760,767 Italy 17,559,107 31,364,656 132,543,798 Spain 868,617 14,407,906 6,057,833 Belgium 41,500,638 58,858,562 42,309,469 Other countries 59,432,882 145,896,327 181,796,919 ------------- ------------- ------------- Total 1,180,439,514 1,754,885,479 1,524,382,650

The 1900 figures are for the ports of Rio, Santos, Bahia, and Victoria.

"Other countries" in 1913 included Argentina, 32,941,182 pounds; Sweden, 28,045,737 pounds; Cape Colony, 15,930,731 pounds; Denmark, 6,252,931 pounds. In 1920 they included Argentina, 37,736,498 pounds; Sweden, 51,026,591 pounds; Denmark, 18,764,483 pounds; Cape Colony, 26,936,653 pounds.

VENEZUELA. Venezuela's coffee trade was deeply affected by the war; both because the Germans were prominent in the industry, and because the regular shipping service to Europe was discontinued. Large amounts of coffee were piled up at the ports and elsewhere; and when the restrictions were swept away in 1919, an abnormal exportation resulted.

Although Germany had been one of the chief buyers before the war, Venezuela was by no means dependent on the German market. In fact, her combined shipments to France and the United States, just before the war, were three times as great as her exports to Germany. These two countries took two-thirds of her total exports in 1920. Spain and the Netherlands were also prominent buyers.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM VENEZUELA 1906 1913 1920 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds United States 35,704,398 45,570,268 43,670,191 France 21,748,370 46,413,174 4,647,978 Germany 5,270,814 32,203,972 546,363 Aus.-Hungary 289,851 3,015,723 Spain 3,133,012 7,372,839 15,210,756 Netherlands 28,549,920 2,903,806 1,836,209 Italy 315,293 2,805,948 719,850 Great Britain 404,720 98,796 1,518,175 Other countries 2,663,507 1,631,143 5,577,110 ------------- ------------- ------------- Total 98,079,885 142,015,669 73,726,632

COMMERCIAL COFFEE CHART

_The World's Leading Growths, with Market Names and General Trade Characteristics_

--------------+-----------+---------+-----------+--------------------- Grand Division Country Princ.i.p.al Best Known Trade Characteristics Shipping Market Ports Names --------------+-----------+---------+-----------+--------------------- North Mexico Vera Cruz Coatepec Greenish to yellow America Huatus...o...b..an; mild flavor.

Orizaba Central Guatemala Puerto Coban Waxy, bluish bean; America Barrios Antigua mellow flavor.

Salvador La Santa Ana Smooth, green bean; Libertad Santa Tecla neutral flavor.

Costa Puerto Costa Ricas Blue-greenish bean; Rica Limon mild flavor.

--------------+-----------+---------+-----------+--------------------- West Haiti Cape Haiti Blue bean; rich, Indies Haitien fairly acid; sweet flavor.

Santo Santo Santo Flat, greenish-yellow Domingo Domingo Domingo bean; strong flavor.

Jamaica Kingston Blue Bluish-green bean; Mountain rich, full flavor.

Porto Ponce Porto Gray-blue bean; Rico Ricans strong, heavy flavor.

--------------+-----------+---------+-----------+--------------------- South Colombia Savanilla Medellin Greenish-yellow bean; America Manizales, rich, mellow flavor.

Bogota Bucaramanga Venezuela La Guaira Merida Greenish-yellow bean; Maracaibo Cucuta mild, mellow flavor.

Caracas Brazil Santos Santos Small bean; mild flavor.

Rio de Rio Large bean; strong Janeiro cup.

--------------+-----------+---------+-----------+--------------------- Asia Arabia Aden Mocha Small, short, green to yellow bean; unique, mild flavor.

India Madras Mysore Small to large, Calicut Coorg blue-green bean; (Kurg) strong flavor.

--------------+-----------+---------+-----------+--------------------- East India Malay Penang Straits Liberian and Robusta Islands States (Geo't'n) growths from Singapore Liberian, Malaysia.

Robusta Sumatra Padang Mandheling Large, yellow to Ankola brown bean; heavy Ayer body; exquisite Bangies flavor.

Java Batavia Preanger Small, blue to Cheribon, yellow bean; Kroe light in cup.

Celebes Menado Minaha.s.sa Large, yellow bean; Maca.s.sar aromatic cup.

--------------+-----------+---------+-----------+--------------------- Africa Abyssinia Jibuti Harar Large, blue to yellow Abyssinia bean; very like Mocha.

Pacific Hawaiian Honolulu Kona Large, blue, flinty Islands Islands Puna bean; mildly acid.

Philippines Manila Manila Yellow and brown large bean; mild cup.

COLOMBIA. Colombian statistics of foreign trade are issued very irregularly, and no figures are available to afford comparison between pre-war and post-war trade. The figures below, however, will show the comparative amounts of coffee going to the chief buying countries at different periods. From these it will be seen that the countries mainly interested in the trade in Colombian coffee are those prominent in the trade in other tropical American sections. England, France, Germany, and the United States took the great bulk of the exports. A consular report written after the outbreak of the war says:

Prior to the war the United States took about seventy percent of Colombia's coffee crop; the remainder being about equally divided between England, France, and Germany, with England taking the largest share.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM COLOMBIA[A]

(From Barranquilla only)

1899 1905 1916 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds Great Britain 22,573,828 7,268,429 442,026 France 6,873,722 496,120 1,685,454 Germany 9,348,028 8,568,131 United States 17,991,500 43,518,704 134,292,858 Other countries 7,396,385 23,753,678 ---------- ---------- ----------- Total 56,787,078 67,247,769 160,174,016

[A] These figures are taken from a consular report, which gave statistics only for the port of Barranquilla and did not include the total shipments from that port. Shipments from Cartagena, the only other exporting port of any consequence, amounted to 7,836,505 pounds, destination not stated. The Barranquilla figures, in the absence of official statistics, can be taken as fairly representative of the total trade so far as destination is concerned. They are for fiscal years, ending June 30.

"Other countries" in 1916 included Italy, 1,135,137 pounds; Venezuela, 20,564,321 pounds; Dutch West Indies, 400,132 pounds.

CENTRAL AMERICA. The three largest producing countries of Central America, Guatemala, Salvador, and Costa Rica, were all closely linked to Germany by the coffee trade before the war. German capital was heavily invested in coffee plantations; German houses had branches in the princ.i.p.al cities; and German ships regularly served the chief ports.

Accordingly, when the blockade became effective, these countries were placed in a difficult position. But fortunately for them, a special effort had been made shortly before by Pacific-coast interests in the United States to divert a part of the coffee trade to San Francisco[313]

The market to the east being shut off, these countries turned naturally to the north. This trade with the United States has apparently been firmly established, and there has not yet been much of a return to German ports.

GUATEMALA. Of the three countries named, Guatemala was the most heavily involved in German trade. In 1913 she sent to Germany 53,000,000 pounds of coffee, a fifth more than in 1900. Her shipments of more than 10,000,000 pounds to the United Kingdom were about the same as at the beginning of the century. The war turned both these currents into United States ports, and they continued to flow in that direction through 1920.

The figures follow:

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM GUATEMALA

1900 1913 1920 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds Germany 44,416,064 53,232,910 452,206 United States 14,057,120 21,188,444 78,226,508 United Kingdom 11,467,680 10,666,604 2,341,217 Other countries 3,041,584 6,641,936 13,185,638 ---------- ---------- ---------- Total 72,982,448 91,729,894 94,205,569

"Other countries" in 1913 included Austria-Hungary, 4,205,400 pounds; Netherlands, 407,900 pounds. In 1920, they included Netherlands, 10,355,625 pounds; Sweden, 422,421 pounds; Norway, 57,408 pounds; Spain, 97,519 pounds; France, 27,956 pounds.

SALVADOR. Salvador is one of the countries in which the publication of foreign-trade statistics has been irregular in the past, and none is available to show the full trade in coffee at the beginning of the century. A consular report gives figures for the first half of 1900. The most recent statistics show that the United States still holds much of the trade gained during the war, although Salvador is sending to Scandinavian countries many millions of pounds of her coffee that came to the United States in war-time.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM SALVADOR

1900 (1st 6 mos.) 1913 1920 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds United States 6,700,101 10,779,655 46,262,256 France 22,948,712 15,955,920 6,686,714 Germany 6,607,892 12,120,133 813,166 Great Britain 4,396,465 3,415,187 4,226,061 Italy 4,322,003 9,538,976 Aus.-Hungary 1,335,626 3,557,482 Belgium 210,834 5,508 3,104 Spain 24,799 377,729 364,296 Other countries 3,920 7,193,107 24,509,071 ---------- ---------- ---------- Total 46,550,352 62,943,697 82,864,668

"Other countries" in 1913 included Norway, 2,070,220 pounds; Sweden, 2,238,332 pounds; Netherlands, 738,694 pounds; Chile, 609,441 pounds; Russia, 95,625 pounds; Denmark, 140,665 pounds. In 1920, they included Norway, 10,726,375 pounds; Chile, 1,772,346 pounds; Netherlands, 1,071,614 pounds; Sweden, 9,635,947 pounds; Denmark, 1,061,772 pounds.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A FLOURISHING COFFEE ESTATE IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO]

[Ill.u.s.tration: LABORERS BRINGING IN THE DAY'S PICKINGS, NEAR BOGOTA, COLOMBIA]

[Ill.u.s.tration: MILD-COFFEE CULTURE AND PREPARATION]