May 29, 2008, New York - The North American organic coffee market
reached one billion dollars in 2007, according to new data released on
May 15.
May 29, 2008, New York - The North American organic coffee market reached one billion dollars in 2007, according to new data released on May 15 during a sampling event featuring new organic coffees. The event was hosted by the Organic Coffee Collaboration, a project of the Organic Trade Association (OTA), at New York City's popular Union Square Cafe.
The amount of organic coffee imported into the U.S. and Canada increased 29 per cent from 2006-2007 from approximately 65 million pounds to approximately 84 million pounds, according to Daniele Giovannucci, author of the upcoming North American Organic Coffee Industry Survey, who presented the data at the event. Most of the coffee was sold in the United States. The survey will soon be available from the Organic Trade Association.
Giovannucci estimates the organic coffee sector now represents 3 per cent of the total U.S. green coffee imports in 2007, growing an average of 32 per cent annually between 2000 and 2007. This growth dwarfs the estimated 2 per cent annual growth rate of the conventional coffee industry. Organic coffee is grown in 40 countries worldwide, including the United States (Hawaii).
According to Giovannucci, factors driving the increase in organic coffee production and consumption include: growth in values-based purchasing (including the desire to support organic production practices) and personal health or food safety concerns.
|
