CONTENT WARNING:

mention of Slavery & Colonization below

Although I knew that coffee originated in Ethiopia, I had never thought to look at the devastating past and present that comes along with the subject.

Photo by Rodrigo Flores on Unsplash

As I didn’t know where to start on such a big topic, I began by watching a very detailed history of coffee video with animation included, at the bottom of my post. I recommend giving it a watch if you’re curious, or if you are wanting to educate yourself on the harsh reality of coffee. 

I enjoyed the way this video was done, as it doesn’t leave out the reality of coffee; that there is a long history of slavery and colonization attached to it. I found it to be the most “honest” about what happened in the past and continues to go on in the present. As well, they give sources in their little description of the video, and provide links to check these out. I have noted some of the devastating things I learned as I was watching, but will not go too far into detail as it is important to watch this yourself if you have a chance (especially if you drink coffee! it is important to know what you’re consuming). 

If you’re curious about which points are in what part of the video, I have listed the times in which they describe these things: 

  • 9:02: African slaves were forced to work on coffee plantations in Brazil. 
  • 10:58 Coffee actually destroyed the environment in Brazil.  
  • 11:11 Guatemalan “rich coffee growers”  took land from the Indigenous peoples, and forced them to work on the plantation. 

History of Coffee Video 

This was hard to watch towards the end, but it’s also important to listen to the truth of what lies beyond the bean. Next time you take a sip out of your cup, be mindful about the impacts and implications this may have. Although I love coffee, I will be taking a hard look at my consumption of this drink. 

Cheers,

Chels