Leading world coffee companies met in Trieste at
the International TriestEspresso Expo a biennial
business forum now in its fourth edition. The event,
considered the world showcase of Italian espresso,
opened on 12 November with a seminar on “The Rise in
Coffee Consumption Worldwide and the Future of
Coffee-growing: A Critical Balance”. The meet was
attended by leading coffee producers as well as
distinguished speakers from Vietnam, Brazil,
Indonesia, Guatemala, Italy, and India. In Trieste,
they tried to identify solutions to the progressive
decline in coffee output among the largest growers
against a steady annual growth of consumption,
especially in large consuming markets such as
Russia, Indonesia, India, and China. Among the
speakers, there were important personalities of the
coffee industry such as Dr. Nestor Osorio (Executive
Director, International Coffee Organization,
London), Luiz Araripe (CECAFE, Brazil), Nguyen Quang
Huy (Expert of Plantation Department, Ministry of
Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam), Dr.
Surip Mawardi (Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research
Institute, Indonesia), Max Quirin (Anafe,
Guatemala), and Shri Krishna Rau (Chairman, Coffee
Board of India). The workshop presented a critical
balance sheet of the entire sector and showed that
world consumption of coffee is rising faster than
production, in a scenario where there are no
expectation of additional supply from the largest,
established producers (e.g. Brazil, Colombia).
Through the UNIDO Delegates Program, UNIDO ITPO
Italy brought Ms. Birkinesh Gonfa Yado from the
Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Federal
Republic of Ethiopia and Mr. Daudi Riganda from
Tanzania Investment Centre to this event. The two
Delegates were thus able get the big picture of the
world coffee market and to bring back to their
coffee producing countries valuable insights and
tips to support the Tanzanian and Ethiopian coffee
industry, as well as promoting previously selected
investment opportunities related to this important
sector.
Indeed, coffee is Tanzania’s largest export crop. It
contributes approximately $115 million to export
earnings, providing employment to some 400,000
families. About 95 percent of coffee is grown by
smallholders on average holdings of 1–2 hectares,
and 5 percent is grown on estates. Tanzania produces
about 800,000 60-kilogram bags, or 0.7 percent of
the world output of 117 million bags. About
two-thirds is mild Arabica, and the rest is strong
Arabica and Robusta.
As far as Ethiopia is concerned, both legend and
historical sources attest that Ethiopia is the
homeland of the coffee plant. In fact, the highlands
of Ethiopia can be considered as the ideal
environment for the production of the world’s finest
coffee and over 85% of Ethiopian coffee production
is organic. Annual production reaches 4 million bags
(60kgs), of which 3.3 million is exported. Ethiopia
has been exporting its green coffee beans, of
different types and grades, to almost all major
destinations of the world. Roasted and ground bean
exports have been marginal - albeit, recently
initiatives are showing encouraging results, also
through the support of foreign investors. In this
scenario, important producers like Ethiopia and
Tanzania could have a chance to penetrate new
markets by taking better advantage of existing
production capacity, by upgrading their production
system, and targeting new countries.
But the results of this initiative was not only
theoretical. Indeed, after the seminar, the
Delegates had a meeting with Mr. Massimiliano Fabian,
President of the Trieste Coffee Cluster, who
highlighted the main features of the local
industrial district and discussed linked investment
opportunities and projects. Furthermore, the
Delegates, supported by ITPO, established direct
contacts with leading Italian companies such as:
Illy, Sandalj, Cogeco, Imperator, Damus, ARC, Brumen,
and several others. As a result of the these
activities, eight coffee projects from Tanzania and
Ethiopia were successfully promoted during the
exhibition and several negotiations started soon
thereafter.
