International Coffee Day 2020: ICO to celebrate entrepreneurs in coffee sector this year; day raises awareness on cultivators' plight

International Coffee Day is celebrated every year on 1 October to celebrate the coffee sector’s diversity, quality and passion. The day is an opportunity for coffee lovers to share their adoration for the beverage and support millions of farmers around the world whose livelihood depends on the crop. The International Coffee Day is organised by the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), the member states of which had decided in March 2014 to create a day of celebration for coffee lovers around the world. ICO is the main intergovernmental organisation for coffee, that helps tackle the challenges faced by the coffee sector around the world through international cooperation. ICO represents 98 percent of world’s coffee production and 67 percent of world’s consumption. Set up in London in 1963, the ICO aims to strengthen the global coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion. It has announced that the focus of International Coffee Day 2020 is ‘ Coffee’s Next Generation’, a global initiative targeting talented and motivated young people and entrepreneurs in the coffee sector. According to ICO, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented situation in the coffee sector, negatively impacting both supply and demand. The initiative is an opportunity to not only promote sustainable coffee practices, but also to raise awareness for the plight of coffee growers. The name ‘International Coffee Day’ was first used by the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, which organised a press conference on 3 October, 2009 to announce the first New Orleans Coffee Festival. However, the International Coffee Organisation first celebrated the day in China in 1997, Taiwan in 2009 and Nepal first celebrated the National Coffee Day on 17 November, 2005. According to a report published in Harvard Health, a November 2015 study published in the scientific journal Circulation found that coffee consumption was associated with an 8 to 15 percent reduction in the risk of death. Coffee drinkers also may have reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, a few types of cancers and cirrhosis. Furthermore, studies have also pointed out that caffeine can boost a person’s metabolic rate and increase fat burning in the body as well. It can also help people feel less tired and increase energy levels because it contains the stimulant caffeine, which is the most commonly consumed psychoactive substance in the world.