Where Does the World’s Coffee Go? Beverages, Industrial Uses and Coffee By-products

I recently had an interesting discussion with a coffee trader about the different uses of coffee. During the conversation, he suggested that coffee is used by defence industries in the manufacture of explosives.

The statement raised an important question: after coffee leaves the farm, how much of it is actually consumed as a beverage, and how much is used to manufacture food products, cosmetics, medicines, industrial materials or defence-related products?

There is currently no reliable evidence showing that ordinary Arabica or Robusta coffee beans are a standard raw material in the commercial manufacture of military explosives. Coffee-processing residues can, however, be converted into fuels, activated carbon, biochar and other carbon-based materials with a wide range of industrial applications.

Research into coffee-derived fuels or carbon materials is different from evidence that coffee itself is routinely used to manufacture explosives. Without a specific technical paper, patent, manufacturer or product specification supporting the trader’s statement, the claim should be treated as unverified.

The discussion nevertheless highlights an important issue. Most people associate coffee only with the drink in a cup, yet the coffee value chain produces beans, oils, extracts, pulp, husks, parchment, silverskin and spent coffee grounds. These materials can enter several different product markets.

This article examines where the world’s Arabica and Robusta coffee goes, the products made from it and the statistics that can be stated with reasonable confidence.

Coffee Is Primarily Produced for Beverages

Coffee is grown mainly for the preparation of beverages. Arabica and Robusta beans are roasted, ground, extracted or converted into soluble coffee before being consumed as hot or cold drinks.

World coffee consumption was approximately 173.1 million 60-kilogram bags in coffee year 2022/23. This is equivalent to approximately 10.39 million tonnes of green-coffee equivalent.

International coffee-consumption statistics primarily measure coffee entering beverage markets. They do not normally include coffee pulp, husks, parchment or spent coffee grounds used in unrelated industrial products.

Arabica and Robusta in the Global Coffee Market

The two commercially dominant coffee species are Arabica, or Coffea arabica, and Robusta, or Coffea canephora.

In coffee year 2022/23, Arabica represented approximately 55.9% of global coffee production, while Robusta represented approximately 44.1%.

Uganda is particularly important in the Robusta market. Robusta coffee is indigenous to parts of Uganda and remains central to the country’s production and export economy. Uganda also produces Arabica coffee in higher-altitude areas in eastern and western Uganda.

What Percentage of Coffee Is Consumed as a Beverage?

No authoritative global database currently divides total coffee use into exact percentages such as 97% for beverages, 1% for cosmetics, 1% for pharmaceuticals and 1% for industrial applications.

International coffee statistics normally classify coffee according to production, exports, imports, stocks, roasting and consumption. They do not comprehensively measure the quantity entering cosmetics, medicines, food manufacturing, energy systems or other industrial applications.

The most defensible conclusion is therefore that commercial coffee-bean use is overwhelmingly beverage-based. An exact worldwide beverage percentage cannot currently be calculated with sufficient reliability.

This conclusion applies specifically to the coffee bean. It does not mean that every part of the coffee cherry or every residue generated during processing is used in beverages.

Why an Exact Percentage Is Difficult to Calculate

1. Different materials are being measured. Green beans, roasted beans, pulp, husks, parchment, silverskin and spent coffee grounds have different moisture contents and physical properties.
2. One quantity of coffee may have more than one use. Coffee can first be brewed as a beverage and its spent grounds later converted into compost, fuel or cosmetic ingredients.
3. Many by-product uses are informal. Coffee pulp and husks may be composted, burned, applied to farmland or discarded without appearing in formal statistics.
4. Industrial manufacturers frequently use extracts. A cosmetics or pharmaceutical manufacturer may purchase caffeine, coffee oil or an antioxidant extract instead of ordinary green coffee beans.
5. Laboratory research is not the same as commercial production. Demonstrating that coffee waste can be converted into a material does not prove that the material is already produced commercially at a significant scale.

How Coffee Is Sold Internationally

Coffee-export statistics provide a useful breakdown of the physical forms in which coffee leaves producing countries. However, the export form should not be confused with the final use of the product.

Green coffee, roasted coffee and soluble coffee are all predominantly intended for beverage preparation.

The high share of green-coffee exports does not mean that green coffee is used mainly for non-beverage industrial purposes. Most green coffee is roasted after arriving in the importing country and eventually consumed as a drink.

The export statistics therefore reveal where processing and value addition take place. Coffee-producing countries continue to export a large proportion of their coffee before roasting, grinding, packaging, branding and retail distribution have occurred.

Main Beverage Products Made from Coffee

Roasted Whole-Bean Coffee

Green Arabica or Robusta beans are roasted and sold without grinding. Whole-bean coffee is common in specialty coffee shops, hotels, restaurants and households that grind coffee immediately before brewing.

Roasted and Ground Coffee

This includes coffee prepared using filter machines, espresso machines, moka pots, French presses and traditional brewing methods. Arabica may be sold alone, while Arabica and Robusta may be blended to balance aroma, body, crema, caffeine content and price.

Soluble or Instant Coffee

Instant coffee is produced by extracting roasted coffee with water and drying the resulting concentrate. Spray drying and freeze drying are the main industrial production methods.

Robusta is widely used in soluble-coffee manufacturing because of its strong flavour, higher concentration of soluble solids and generally lower raw-material cost.

Espresso and Blended Coffee

Espresso blends frequently combine Arabica and Robusta. Arabica may contribute aroma, sweetness and acidity, while Robusta may contribute body, crema, caffeine and a stronger flavour.

Ready-to-Drink Coffee

Ready-to-drink products include bottled iced coffee, canned coffee, chilled milk-coffee beverages, nitro coffee and packaged cold brew. They remain coffee beverages even when marketed through soft-drink or dairy distribution channels.

Coffee Concentrates and Liquid Extracts

Concentrated coffee extracts are used in vending systems, ready-to-drink beverages, desserts, confectionery, bakery products, ice cream and flavouring preparations.

Decaffeinated Coffee

Decaffeinated coffee is another beverage product. Caffeine removed during decaffeination may be recovered and used in beverages, medicines, laboratory applications and other formulated products.

Coffee Used in Food Products

Coffee is also used as an ingredient in products that are eaten rather than drunk. Examples include:

• Coffee-flavoured ice cream;
• Chocolate and confectionery;
• Cakes, biscuits and other bakery products;
• Coffee yoghurt and dairy desserts;
• Coffee syrups and sauces;
• Energy bars and snack products;
• Coffee-flavoured breakfast products.

These products use roasted coffee, soluble coffee or coffee extracts as flavouring ingredients. Their combined coffee requirement is much smaller than the volume consumed directly as beverages.

Coffee in Cosmetics and Personal-Care Products

Coffee-derived ingredients can be found in soaps, body scrubs, creams, shampoos, fragrances and skin-care formulations.

Manufacturers may use coffee oil, caffeine, antioxidant extracts or finely processed spent coffee grounds. Spent grounds may be used as exfoliating material, while oils and extracts may be incorporated into specialised formulations.

Cosmetics can generate a high selling value from a relatively small quantity of coffee-derived material. However, the total physical volume used by the cosmetics industry is very small compared with beverage consumption.

This illustrates an important distinction: a high-value market is not necessarily a high-volume market.

Coffee in Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Products

Caffeine and coffee extracts may be used in medicines, supplements and scientific products. Applications may include stimulant formulations, certain headache medicines containing caffeine and products based on coffee antioxidants.

These industries normally use purified compounds or concentrated extracts rather than ordinary green coffee as their principal raw material.

Their share of total global coffee-bean volume is therefore likely to be very small, although no comprehensive worldwide percentage is published.

Is Coffee Used in Defence Industries?

Coffee and coffee-processing residues can be converted into materials that have broad industrial applications. These include activated carbon, biochar, liquid and solid biofuels, oils, polymer fillers and other carbon-rich materials.

Activated carbon made from spent coffee grounds can be used for filtration, adsorption and environmental treatment. Coffee biomass can also be investigated as a renewable energy source. Carbon materials and energy products are used across many sectors, potentially including contractors that supply government or defence institutions.

However, this indirect connection should not be interpreted as proof that coffee is routinely used to manufacture explosives.

The trader may have been referring to one of several related but different applications:

• The conversion of coffee waste into combustible biomass fuel;
• The production of activated carbon from spent coffee grounds;
• The use of caffeine or carbon materials in specialised scientific research;
• Experimental research involving biomass-derived energy materials;
• The supply of coffee beverages to military institutions.

Without a specific manufacturer, patent, technical paper or product specification, the explosives claim should remain classified as unverified rather than presented as an established coffee-market fact.

The Larger Opportunity Is in Coffee By-products

Coffee beans are only one part of the coffee fruit and value chain. Coffee production, processing and consumption generate pulp, mucilage, husks, parchment, silverskin, wastewater and spent coffee grounds.

The global coffee sector is estimated to generate more than 40 million tonnes of biomass annually. This biomass represents a significant potential raw material for circular-economy businesses.

This does not mean that more than 40 million tonnes of coffee beans are diverted away from beverages. Much of the biomass consists of materials removed from the coffee cherry before the bean is exported or residues remaining after a beverage has already been prepared.

Products Made from Coffee Pulp and Cherry Skin

Coffee pulp and cherry skin are separated from the bean during wet or dry processing, depending on the processing method.

Potential products include:

• Compost and organic soil amendments;
• Biogas and renewable energy;
• Cascara beverages made from properly processed coffee-cherry skin;
• Flour and fibre ingredients, subject to food-safety approval;
• Antioxidant and bioactive extracts;
• Mushroom-growing substrates;
• Animal-feed ingredients where technically and legally appropriate.

Food and animal-feed applications require careful control because coffee residues may contain caffeine, tannins, microorganisms or contaminants. A material should not automatically be considered safe merely because it originated from an edible coffee fruit.

Products Made from Coffee Husks and Parchment

Husks and parchment are dry fibrous materials separated during coffee processing and hulling.

Potential uses include:

• Fuel for coffee dryers and industrial boilers;
• Biomass briquettes and pellets;
• Biochar;
• Compost and mulch after suitable treatment;
• Particleboard and composite materials;
• Packaging and fibre-based products.

Using coffee husks as an energy source at a processing facility can reduce reliance on purchased firewood or fossil fuels. However, combustion systems should control smoke, ash and worker exposure.

Products Made from Coffee Silverskin

Coffee silverskin is the thin layer released from the bean during roasting. Commercial roasting facilities can accumulate meaningful quantities of this lightweight material.

Potential uses include:

• Dietary-fibre ingredients;
• Antioxidant extracts;
• Compost;
• Biofuel;
• Biodegradable packaging;
• Composite materials.

Products Made from Spent Coffee Grounds

Spent coffee grounds are produced after roasted coffee has been brewed or industrially extracted. They are generated by households, restaurants, hotels, offices, coffee shops and instant-coffee factories.

Possible products include:

• Compost and soil amendments;
• Biogas, biodiesel and biomass fuel;
• Biochar and activated carbon;
• Mushroom-growing media;
• Oil and antioxidant extracts;
• Cosmetic exfoliants and soap ingredients;
• Bioplastics and polymer composites;
• Construction and insulation materials under research or specialised production.

In these applications, the coffee has already served its principal beverage purpose. Reusing the grounds extends the value obtained from the same coffee rather than replacing beverage consumption.

Summary of the Available Statistics

What the Statistics Mean for Uganda

Uganda’s immediate value-addition opportunity is not to divert a large percentage of coffee away from beverages. The larger opportunity is to increase the value obtained from both the beverage and the materials surrounding it.

Opportunities in the Beverage Market

• Export more roasted and packaged Ugandan coffee;
• Develop Robusta-based espresso products;
• Expand soluble-coffee processing;
• Develop traceable single-origin Arabica and fine Robusta products;
• Supply ready-to-drink and cold-brew manufacturers;
• Strengthen domestic coffee consumption and local brands;
• Develop institutional coffee products for hotels, offices and restaurants.

Opportunities in the Circular Coffee Economy

• Convert coffee pulp and husks into compost and biochar;
• Use coffee biomass for drying and industrial energy;
• Produce safe cascara products where regulations permit;
• Extract useful compounds from pulp, silverskin and spent grounds;
• Develop briquettes, pellets and composite materials;
• Establish collection systems for spent coffee grounds;
• Promote partnerships between processors, manufacturers and research institutions.

These activities can reduce waste-management costs, create new enterprises and generate additional income without weakening coffee’s main beverage market.

Conclusion

The world’s Arabica and Robusta beans are overwhelmingly produced for beverages. Green beans, roasted coffee and soluble coffee may appear as separate categories in trade statistics, but all three are principally beverage products.

There is no established statistical evidence that a meaningful proportion of global coffee production is used to manufacture explosives. Coffee waste can be converted into fuels, activated carbon and other industrial materials, but this does not make coffee a recognised mainstream input into military explosive production.

The major non-beverage opportunity lies in the coffee industry’s enormous by-product stream. More than 40 million tonnes of coffee-related biomass are estimated to be generated annually. These materials can potentially be converted into fertilizers, energy products, food ingredients, cosmetics, extracts, packaging and industrial materials.

The most accurate conclusion is therefore that commercial coffee beans overwhelmingly serve the beverage market, while coffee-processing residues provide a large and still underutilised opportunity for additional value-added products.

Statistical and Evidence Notes

• Coffee export categories describe the form in which coffee is traded, not necessarily its final consumer use.
• Green coffee exported from a producing country is normally roasted and consumed as a beverage in the importing country.
• Coffee by-product estimates may use different moisture and weight bases and should not be added directly to green-coffee consumption figures.
• Cosmetic, pharmaceutical and industrial coffee uses are not comprehensively recorded in global coffee statistics.
• Experimental research into a coffee-derived material does not necessarily demonstrate an established commercial market.
• The alleged use of coffee in explosives should remain classified as unverified unless supported by a specific credible technical or commercial source.
• Statistics refer to the periods stated and may change between coffee years.

Sources

• International Coffee Organization coffee production, consumption and trade reports.
• International Coffee Organization publications on the circular coffee economy.
• Peer-reviewed research on activated carbon and energy products derived from spent coffee grounds.
• Peer-reviewed studies covering coffee by-products and circular-economy applications.