Black Gold, a beautifully shot documentary that explores the story behind the billion dollar industry which gets the world going every morning.
Few consider what it takes to get that precious cup of coffee onto our breakfast tables every morning.
Multinational coffee companies rule shopping malls and supermarkets and dominate the industry worth over $80 billion, making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil.
But while consumers continue to pay for lattes and cappuccinos, the price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced to abandon their coffee fields.
The documentary tells the story of Tadesse Meskela who travels the globe in an attempt to find buyers willing to pay a fair price for the 74 000 struggling Ethiopian coffee farmers he represents. Against the backdrop of Tadesse’s journey to London and Seattle, the enormous power of the multinational players that dominate the world’s coffee trade becomes apparent. New York commodity traders, the international coffee exchanges, and the double dealings of trade ministers at the World Trade Organisation reveal the many challenges Tadesse faces in his quest for a long term solution for his farmers.
Giveaway
Food24 are giving away three double tickets to the movie. To enter the draw send us an e-mail with your details and you could be one of our winners. Screenings will take place at the Labia on Orange cinema in Cape Town on Sunday 30 March at 6.15pm, on Monday 31 March at 8:30pm and on Tuesday 1 April at 8:30pm.