Caffeinated

Forget money, caffeine makes the world go around. With 1.4b cups consumed everyday, the wonderful hit of caffeine enables millions of people to make the most of their day.

Off the bat, 1.6% of the USA’s annual GDP is attributed to the coffee industry. From importing to roasting to serving, 1.6m Americans are employed in the industry generating over US$80b a year. For reference, Intel, IBM, CitiGroup, Airbus and Disney have comparable revenue figures. 

Interestingly, Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia are the three biggest coffee producing countries in the world. 

Unlike most countries who actually enjoy their coffee, Americans love Starbucks and other chain coffee outlets. Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts accounted for 80% of new coffee shop openings in 2020. Over 60% of all outlets belong to Starbucks or Dunkin. 

So that’s the commerce of coffee, but how about its effect on our actual performance. Caffeine has well researched benefits on alertness and energy levels. Furthermore, up to 3 cups of coffee for a 75kg human is generally okay for health. Knowing that coffee is generally safe for the vast majority of drinkers, the research found that caffeine can reduce the exertion needed for physical labour by 6%. Drivers were 63% less likely to have an accident after caffeine. On a national level, with a significant proportion of road deaths being caused by sleep deprivation, a cheap caffeine hit is legitimately a life-saver. 

One final point to ease your mind, it has been established that coffee is a habit rather than an addiction. Keep drinking!