Coffee was originally found in Ethiopia but has since spread world wide. Most of the coffee production in Ethiopia is still using the wild coffee tree forests that were naturally there. It is important that there is enough sunlight and rain which means these plants can only be grown in tropical or sub-tropical countries. Typically countries that are on the equator.

There is a narrow band around the equator which is used to produce most of the coffee for the worlds consumption. Coffee beans are grown in over 70 different countries all around the globe, and it is the second largest worldwide commodity in dollar value.

The largest coffee producer in the world is Brazil, they produce 28% of the worlds supply of coffee. Colombian coffee is extremely famous but even so they only produce 16% of the worlds output. Indonesia produces 7%, and Mexico is the fourth largest producer of coffee at 4%.

Coffee trees can be grown in a number of different locations, however they are best when grown at locations with high altitude.

Brazil has a number of very large plantations that cover huge areas of land. Hundreds of workers are employed to harvest and process the beans. In Colombia most of the transportation of the beans is done by mule or Jeep due to the treacherous conditions and poor economy.

Colombia has coffee trees growing on the sides of the mountains, while Hawaii has them planted on the slopes of the volcano. The ash is perfect for the plants as it provides good nutrition. The level of sun is also sufficient and the rainfall required is also provided.

Indonesia is a country that is made up of lots of little islands. Coffee has been grown on these islands since the Dutch introduced it in the 17th Century. Other countries have more advanced technology, however nowhere is as good at growing coffee as here. There are hundreds of individual farms on Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi which means they are the 3rd largest producers of coffee.

In Mexico the trees are normally planted in small farms, however there are over 100,000 of them throughout the whole country. This makes Mexico an important player in the world coffee market. Most of these farms are located in the south of Mexico. In some Mexican cities the high altitude varieties of coffee are grown.

In recent times has started challenging Indonesia to be the 2nd biggest producer of coffee. Trees were first planted in Vietnam in the 19th century by the French. Small plantations produce robusta which is one of the common varieties of coffee.

Smaller producers of coffee include Africa, the Ivory Coast and Kenya. These are smaller, but they are very famous for producing dark fruity coffee. At the base of Mount Kenya some of the largest beans are produced there which produce a very fruity coffee. The Ivory Coast produces the most robusta which is normally used for espresso coffee blends.

No matter where the coffee comes from you can be pretty sure that it will be very popular. Coffee from all around the world is popular these days!