International Coffee Day

 

Working from home, enjoying my morning coffee.

Coffee has energy boosting and fat burning properties, and is a great source of antioxidants.

It is believed that coffee beans were first discovered in Ethiopia - a 9th century goat herder noticed the stimulating effects on his goats and started experimenting.

Coffee was originally popular in Arab countries beginning in the 15th century.  From there it spread to Asia, then Italy, across Europe and to the Americas.

Today, coffee is one of the world's largest crops.

Photo Credit: Cesar Elias Botelho

The coffee bean is actually the pit of these coffee berries.

When buying your coffee, look for the Fair Trade Certified stamp of approval.  Because coffee is considered a luxury, consumers can demand more from their producers, which has historically meant poor treatment of the farmers and workers on top of the hard conditions they already face.

It's a few years old, but here is a Guide to Buying Ethical Coffee.

Days of the Year says October 1, but Google says it's today.

Wikipedia breaks it down a bit more to show observances in many countries.

The inaugural date was October 1, 2015.