BBC 英语学习 6分钟英语 咖啡背后的故事

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Hello. I'm Rob. Welcome to six minute English with me.

Today is Neil. Hello. Neil Hello.

Rob. In this program, we're going to be talking about coffee.

Coffee. I've actually got one here in front of me.

ROB All right, what kind of coffee are you drinking?

It's a skinny latte. And what's that that you've got?

Well, I've gone for a flat white today.

That tastes good. It looks good too.

The market for the world's most popular drink has come a long way since the days of instant coffee, when we just added boiling water to some brown powder.

Yes, that's very truenial. After that came the giants, like Starbucks and Costa Coffee, who made coffee drinking trendy and a lifestyle statement.

People are far more aware of what they're drinking these days.

Hmm, that Rob. I don't think we should forget what lies behind the coffee we enjoy every day.

It's a hugely complicated business. Yes, it's the 2nd biggest commodity in the world, after oil.

That means the price of coffee is changing every day, every hour, even as traders speculate about the price.

And it means farmers in countries like Ethiopia, costa, rica and Brazil are dependent on the deals that are made in commodity markets thousands of miles from their farms.

It makes them extremely vulnerable. Let's listen to food journalist Chila Dylan as she explains the impact of coffee markets on local growers.

She uses an expression that means, has a big effect.

Can you tell me what it is?

What happens in the coffee market makes waves around the globe.

Entire national economies depend on the price of coffee.

It's the key to whether individual farmers can provide for their families, face unemployment, and ultimately, whether whole communities stay on the land or trek to the cities, she said, makes waves.

This means have a big effect.

She also used the expression provide for their families.

This means the farmers family have enough income to live comfortably good.

Right? So what about our quiz question today?

Neil, do you know how many cups of coffee are drunk worldwide each year?

Is it a 38 billion? Be 400 billion, or see 950000000000?

Well, it's going to be a huge number, of course, but I still think I'll go for the lowest figure, which is 38 billion.

OK, well, we'll see if you've got the answer right at the end of the program.

Now, the price of coffee has soared, that means gone up quickly in recent years.

Rob Surely that's good for everyone involved in the business.

I believe the profit margins for coffee are amongst the highest in the world.

I can't see what all the fusses about how, well, neil, just because the price is high, it doesn't mean that everyone benefits.

It all depends on how the profits are distributed.

You see, there are countless transactions between the grower and the drinker.

A grower can have a really good crop, but the amount he makes stays the same, or can even fall.

I see the problem. I expect Most of the profits go to the commodity traders and very little to the individual growers of the bean.

It sounds like the growers have no control.

That's what happens in other agricultural sectors, I'm afraid.

So of course, some people are trying to distribute the profits more widely, and they have been having some success.

Yes, I heard about some small scale projects where the company takes charge of the whole process, from field to shop.

Yes, these organizations tend to farm organically.

This is very labor intensive. That means a lot of people are employed, and it creates a lot of jobs for people within the local community.

In this way, they're not victims of market fluctuations.

Let's listen to Li Overmani, who runs a small plantation like this in Costa Rica.

What's the verge he uses for putting the coffee in a box before selling it for our plantation?

The approach we have is to go through every step of the way, every step of the process, so that we grow it, we pick it, we process it in the mill, then eventually will roast it, will package it, and we sell it a small plantation we are and that would allow us to stay, or be profitable at the end of the day.

So he used the verb package, which means put a product in a packet or box before selling it.

And he said his community can stay profitable.

This means they can always maintain profits or make money.

Well, it's good to know that

small growers can live reasonably, comfortably, despite what the world markets are doing.

The next time I grab a take away coffee, I'll try to remember all the politics involved in the production process.

Yes, me too. So shall we have the answer to the quiz question now?

Yes. You ask me how many cups of coffee are drunk worldwide each year?

38 billion? 400 billion, or 950000000000? And I guessed 38 billion?

Hmm. I'm afraid you're wrong. The answer is actually 400 billion.

No way. That's incredible. Yes, it's an extraordinary statistic.

Well, we're almost out of time, so let's remind ourselves of some of the words we've said today.

Neil commodity. Speculate fluctuations. Vulnerable. Make waves.

Provides for labor intensive package profitable.

Well, that's it for today. Do visit BBC learning English dot com to find more six minute English programs until next time.

Good Bye. Bye. Six minute English from BBC Learning English.

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