Boiling Black Coffee

Every morning, Italians wake up and have coffee. Whether it’s a moka on the stove or an espresso at the bar, in the Bel Paese coffee is a national ritual that seems impossible to give up. They enjoy their espresso, but in many African countries, including the small and extremely poor Burundi, climate change is making it increasingly difficult to grow coffee plants.

The lives of millions of small farmers who cultivate the green bean are becoming increasingly complicated. Will they be able to adapt and survive? And what about the long and complex global coffee supply chain? Will it manage to become sustainable by reducing pollution, recycling waste, and meeting the new green standards imposed by the European Union? Or even Italians have to resign themselves to waking up one morning with an empty cup? An Italian and a Burundian journalist look into this together with coffee bean growers and experts. 

Photo: Colline Nkuba zone Murima, commune Kayanza, province Kayanza, Burundi (c) Florence Inyabuntu.