International Coffee Day (ICD) is annually observed across the globe on October 1 to honour coffee and people behind it, highlighting the importance of coffee and promote fair trade and sustainable practices in coffee production.
Theme:
2025 theme: “Embracing Collaboration More Than Ever”
Focus: This year’s emphasizes collaboration across the coffee value chain to ensure sustainable livelihoods and shared prosperity.
Exam Hints:
- What? International Coffee Day (ICD) 2025 is observed
- When? October 1
- Who? International Coffee Organization (ICO)
- Theme 2025: “Embracing Collaboration More Than Ever”
- First observance: 2015
- Global coffee exports: 11.42 million bags (July 2025)
Background:
Background: In March 2014, the International Coffee Organization (ICO) Member States decided to celebrate ICD on 1st October annually, creating a global day for coffee enthusiasts.
First Observance: The first ever ICD was observed on 1st October 2015 by 74 Member States of the ICO and 26 coffee associations around the world.
Coincidence: The first ICD coincided with the 115th session of the International Coffee Council (ICC) and the first Global Coffee Forum (GCF) which took place during Expo Milan 2015 in Milan (Italy).
Date Significance: The date “October 1” aligns with the beginning of the “coffee year” in many producing countries.
About Coffee:
Origin: Coffee plant originated in Ethiopia and spread to the Middle East before making its way to Europe in the 15th century. It comes from coffee beans (seeds) of the berries from the Coffea plant, native to Ethiopia.
- The two main types of coffee beans are Arabica, which is known for its smooth taste, and Robusta, which has a stronger and more bitter flavor.
Popular Beverage: Coffee is one of the 3 most popular beverages in the world, alongside water and tea. It is the world’s second most traded commodity after oil.
Production: Countries such as Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia and Ethiopia are the top 5 producing countries.
- Indian States such as Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu (TN) are the top 3 coffee producing states.
Global Coffee Exports: World coffee exports reached 11.42 million bags in July 2025, slightly lower than 11.6 million bags in July 2024.
Global Share: India’s coffee industry contributed 3% of global production in 2022, ranking 8th worldwide.
2025 Events:
Event: On International Coffee Day (October 2, 2025), Rajesh Agrawal, Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry (MoC&I), inaugurated the ‘Coffee Experience Zone and Expo ‘organized by the Coffee Board of India in Bengaluru(Karnataka).
- The event coincided with the operationalization of the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA).
Market Access:TEPA opens access for Indian coffee exports to premium markets like Switzerland, Norway, and Iceland, with EFTA countries retaining 0% import duty on all coffee-related tariff lines (Harmonized System(HS) Chapter 0901 and select HS 210111 & 210112).
JICA signs USD 75 mn loan with ECOM to support Asian coffee farmers:
Loan Agreement: The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a USD 75 million loan with ECOM Agroindustrial Corp Ltd and its group company ECOM Agroindustrial Asia Pte Ltd to support coffee supply chains in Asia.
Co-Financing:
The loan, co-financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is JICA’s first exclusive working capital loan, to ensure stable coffee procurement from over 60,000 smallholder farmers in India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Vietnam.
Components: It covers purchase funds and consulting services, including coffee certification, climate change adaptation pilots, and farm support for women farmers.
Alignment:The loan supports India’s Doubling Farmers’ Income mission and aligns with the G7 Apulia Communique (held in Apulia, Italy in June 2024) on strengthening the global coffee value chain.
About International Coffee Organization (ICO):
Executive Director(ED) – Vanusia Nogueria
Headquarters – London, the United Kingdom (UK)
Established – 1963
