Trading and globalization

Coffee first became an international commodity along the Yemeni and Red Sea trade routes, and then grew into a global product with the expansion of European colonial powers. The trade networks, plantations, and overseas companies together shaped the world market in which coffee is still one of the most important agricultural products today..

Early Coffee Trade Routes – Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea Networks

Discover how Yemen and the Red Sea trade routes shaped the world’s first coffee economy long before European involvement.

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