A Coffee Strategy : Is There a Best Method for Protecting Developing Countries' Single-Origin Coffee? An Analysis in the Light of 'Café De Colombia'
It has been said that coffee is the second most sold commodity in the world after petroleum. At a first glance, this would indicate that all coffee industry participants enjoy great benefits derived from the commercialisation of this exquisite product; regrettably this is not the case. Developing countries, as coffee’s main producers, have been faced with the so called “coffee paradox” under which it has been seen that although coffee consumption in developed countries significantly increases and prices rise, producers' income in developing countries decreases. In order to confront said situation, developing countries have envisaged a way out of this paradox through the differentiation of their coffee by attempting to decommodify this good at a production level. In this sense, the concept of single-origin coffee has arisen, seeking to reward coffee producing countries, who by adding value to their coffee at the harvest and post-harvest stage that takes place in their territories, strive to obtain higher premiums. The issue then arises when developing countries want to legally protect their single-origin coffee; which is the best method to do it? Shall developing countries use indications of geographical origin (IGO) regimes or will traditional trademark regimes serve the purpose? In order to come closer to an appropriate answer for these questions an analysis of coffee producing countries and the protection these have given to their single-origin coffees is done; starting and focusing on Café de Colombia, considering that Colombia was the first coffee producing country to develop a commercial strategy in order to successfully position its coffee at an international level. Nevertheless, the experience of Honduras, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Ethiopia will also be reviewed, the latter being a particular case given the use of individual trademark systems for the discussed protection. In this sense, and after studying each of these cases along with several other non-coffee examples from developing countries, this dissertation advocates for an answer revolving around the fact that there is no best regime for developing countries to protect their single-origin coffee; considering that it is not only a matter of choice but also of implementing the system that most adapts to the country's own needs and socioeconomic possibilities
Year of publication: |
2013
|
---|---|
Authors: | Hernández Paredes, Patricia |
Publisher: |
[S.l.] : SSRN |
Subject: | Entwicklungsländer | Developing countries | Kolumbien | Colombia | Kaffee | Coffee | Kaffeeanbau | Coffee farming | Kaffeemarkt | Coffee market |
Saved in:
freely available
Saved in favorites
Similar items by subject
-
Ibanez, Marcela, (2016)
-
Environmental and economic impacts of growing certified organic coffee in Colombia
Ibanez, Marcela, (2015)
-
The economic efficiency of coffee growers in the department of Caldas, Colombia
Salazar Echeverry, Hugo Mauricio, (2023)
- More ...