These days, everyone drinks coffee. But how many of us know anything about the laws that impact each cup of coffee we drink? Most people drink coffee that is grown and processed halfway around the world from their coffee cup. The international coffee trade, as any international trade of commodities, must comply with local laws of many separate countries’ trade laws, agreements, and import regulations.

Why is this important? Consider a relatively small coffee roasting company, such as Stumptown Coffee Roasters, a Portland-based company with only eight locations: seven between Portland and Seattle, and one in New York City. And yet, this tiny coffee company imports coffee from seven different countries spanning three continents. Now imagine how many countries provide coffee for an industry giant such as Starbucks. Coffee is grown and exported by over 60 countries around the world. Massive imports of coffee into the United States alone create countless contracts, each dealing with the specific laws and regulations of the different supplier countries. But who is there to protect the vast supply of small coffee growers against abuses from large importing countries? The answer can be found in the International Coffee Agreement (ICA).

The ICA is an international commodity agreement created by the International Coffee Organization (ICO) to promote transparency and a sustainable coffee economy for the import and export of coffee among its 77 member countries. In particular, the ICA aims to give a voice to small-scale coffee growers who comprise over 70% of global coffee exports. The ICA began in 1962, and the most recent iteration of the Agreement was signed in 2007 by the ICO member countries.

So important was the International Coffee Agreement that it was specifically codified in United States laws, and is still valid today. Enforcement has been strict. Consider the case of Rey Cafe Coffee Co. v. Pitman (5 C.I.T. 112), where plaintiff purposely misrepresented the country of origin of the coffee to U.S. customs officials and subsequently had all of his imported coffee (3,500 bags) seized.

With proper enforcement and international cooperation among an ever-expanding group of member states of the ICO, we can rest assured that the legal framework of international trade is creating a sustainable coffee sector, so that we may continue to enjoy the coffee that wakes us up every morning.