The International Coffee Organization (ICO) is delighted to start 2021 with the happy news of welcoming the UK as a new member of the Organization. On January 28, 2021, the ICO will hold a virtual ceremony to celebrate our new member and launch the 2020 Coffee Development Report (CDR2020), the second issue of the economic flagship publication.

The UK has completed the ICO membership process and became an independent member as of January 1, 2021. ICO members currently account for 97% of world coffee production and exports and more than two thirds of coffee imports.

UK Food Minister Victoria Prentis said: “Here in the UK, we drink approximately 95 million cups of coffee a day, and the coffee industry creates a multitude of jobs throughout the supply chain. I am pleased to note that the UK has officially joined the ICO as an individual Importing Member. This exciting event means that we can continue to work together with other Members to defend the global coffee sector and ensure its sustainability ”.

Welcoming the UK's accession to the ICO, Paul Rooke, Executive Director of the British Coffee Association (BCA) said: “We are pleased that the government has moved swiftly to confirm its membership in the ICO. The UK coffee industry is a £ 11 billion turnover sector, employing over 150,000 people. Coffee is important to the UK and as a country it is right that we seek to take a leadership role in protecting and sustaining the production of our favorite beverage. BCA looks forward to working with ICO and its members to enhance development efforts and open markets, and continued collaboration with colleagues at Defra to support the role of the UK coffee industry. "

ICO Executive Director José Sette said: “The UK is the 10th largest importer (by volume) of coffee globally. By joining the ICO, the UK is investing in this valuable sector. The ICO offers its members the opportunity to cooperate globally and learn from each other's experiences in the coffee sector.

Membership in the ICO facilitates close contacts with the private sector, development partners and the wider coffee community. Public-private collaboration is vital if we are to ensure a prosperous and sustainable coffee industry. The UK is our host country and we welcome you as a Member with open arms. We look forward to having you with us for the release of our flagship report on January 28, "The Coffee Development Report."

The findings of the CDR2020 will be explored in the virtual event on January 28. The event will take place from 11:00 to 13:00 GMT and will include a number of interesting and high-profile speakers, several of whom contributed to the development of the 2020 CDR.

The event will be moderated by John Muldowney, President of the International Coffee Council 2020/21 and First Secretary for Agriculture at the Irish Embassy in London. Minister Prentis will lead the opening of the event, followed by José Sette, ICO Executive Director and Paul Rooke (Executive Director, British Coffee Association). The highlights of CDR2020 will be led by José Sette and Gerardo Patacconi, Head of ICO Operations, with contributions from Christoph Saenger (EBRD and ICO-trained senior economist), Rocco Macchiavello, (LSE) Aoife Hanley (Kiel Institute for the World) Economy) and Sebastian Lesch (German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development - BMZ).

The report, entitled "The value of coffee: sustainability, inclusion and resilience of the global coffee value chain", analyzes the coffee sector through the lens of global value chains (GVCs). Provides information on the GVC of coffee based on sound empirical analysis.

A key recommendation of the report is that a smart combination of market-driven initiatives and regulatory options, constructive dialogue and joint action between public and private sector stakeholders along with accurate and timely information to facilitate cooperation are necessary to maximize benefits. economic for the coffee producers integrated in the GVC. It also highlights the importance of ensuring social and environmental sustainability

The report's key findings include that the value of annual coffee exports has more than quadrupled from $ 8.4 billion in 1991 to $ 35.6 billion in 2018, and non-producing countries, including the UK, have played an important role. 

The expansion of coffee GVCs is driven by the private sector, but governments must provide an enabling environment. Higher income regions such as Europe and North America accounted for more than 96% of roasted coffee exports and 53% of soluble coffee exports in 2018, indicating that processing activities mainly occur in income regions that depend heavily on the need for inclusion and the impact of private sector-driven programs on the ability of coffee producers to target high-income markets, the contribution of coffee GVCs to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and on the resilience of coffee GVCs against stressors such as climate change and the current global pandemic.

The Coffee Development Report 2020 has been prepared by the ICO team with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The report builds on and complements other ICO studies such as the "Coffee Break Series" which highlighted the impact of covid-19 on the global coffee sector, as well as includes data from the International Coffee Organization and the British Coffee Association.

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) is a multilateral organization that supports countries to improve the sustainability and prosperity of the coffee sector. It provides a high-level forum for all public and private actors in the sector; official statistics on coffee production and trade and consumption; and support for the development and financing of technical cooperation projects and public-private partnerships.