Black Gold (film)
Encyclopedia
Black Gold is a 2006 documentary film about the international coffee
trade and its ramifications for the farmers who grow coffee. It was directed by two British
brothers, Marc and Nick Francis.
of southern and western Ethiopia
, the birthplace of coffee. It follows Tadesse Meskela
, the General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
, as he visits coffee-growing regions in Sidamo
and Oromia (including the Kilenso Mokonisa Cooperative in the Bure Hora
woreda
in the Borena Zone
of the Oromia Region), as well as a coffee processing center, a coffee auction house, and his union's headquarters in Addis Ababa
. He also travels to England
and the United States
in an effort to promote Ethiopian coffee by eliminating the numerous middlemen. There is also a scene where coffee farmers pray to God for a higher price, which was filmed at the Negele Gorbitu Cooperative, located near Irgachefe
in the Abaya
woreda of the Borena Zone. The Ethiopian footage was filmed on two occasions (in 2003 and 2005), for six weeks each time. The Ethiopian coffee farmers speak about their lives, with one explaining that he is cutting down his coffee plants and planting khat
(a plant containing cathinone
, an amphetamine
-like stimulant) instead, due to the low price he is getting for coffee due to the explosion in coffee farmers across the globe, and the comparatively higher price he can get for khat.
The film also includes footage of the New York Board of Trade
, a commodity trading
floor in New York City
, where the "C" international benchmark price of coffee is set each business day based on supply and demand, and explores the effects that these international prices (which by 2006 were at an all-time low) have on Ethiopian coffee growers. Other footage was shot at the first Starbucks
and the World Barista Championship
at the 2005 Specialty Coffee Association of America
conference in Seattle; and at a café and the Illy
coffee company in Trieste
, Italy
. These scenes stand in stark contrast to the footage of the impoverished conditions faced by the Ethiopian coffee farmers and their families.
Although Starbucks
, Sara Lee, Procter & Gamble
, Kraft
, and Nestlé
- the world's largest sellers of coffee - are mentioned in the film, all five companies declined invitations to be interviewed for the film.
The film's budget was US$760,000.
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
trade and its ramifications for the farmers who grow coffee. It was directed by two British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
brothers, Marc and Nick Francis.
Synopsis
The film focuses on the coffee growers of the Oromia RegionOromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
of southern and western Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, the birthplace of coffee. It follows Tadesse Meskela
Tadesse Meskela
Tadesse Meskela is the General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union of Ethiopia and was featured in the documentary Black Gold. He is a proponent of fair-trade, and speaks publicly in support of it around the world....
, the General Manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union
The Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union is an Ethiopian agricultural cooperative federation, established in June 1999, representing approximately 102,950 coffee growers, processors, and exporters of the Oromia Region of southern and western Ethiopia. The union's members are organized into 115...
, as he visits coffee-growing regions in Sidamo
Sidamo Province
Sidamo was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Irgalem, and after 1978 at Awasa. It was named after an ethnic group native to Ethiopia, called the Sidamo, or more particularly, Sidama, who are located in the south-central part of that country...
and Oromia (including the Kilenso Mokonisa Cooperative in the Bure Hora
Bore (woreda)
Bore is a small town in Gujii Zone, Oromia region, Located 385 Km south of Addis Ababa . Bore district is bordered on the south by Annaa Sorraa, on the west by Uraagaa, on the north and the east by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region...
woreda
Woreda
Woreda is an administrative division of Ethiopia , equivalent to a district . Woredas are composed of a number of Kebele, or neighborhood associations, which are the smallest unit of local government in Ethiopia...
in the Borena Zone
Borena Zone
Borena is one of the 17 zones of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Borena is named after a tribe of the Oromo people. Borena is bordered on the south by Kenya, on the west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, on the north by Guji and on the east by the Somali Region. The...
of the Oromia Region), as well as a coffee processing center, a coffee auction house, and his union's headquarters in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
. He also travels to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in an effort to promote Ethiopian coffee by eliminating the numerous middlemen. There is also a scene where coffee farmers pray to God for a higher price, which was filmed at the Negele Gorbitu Cooperative, located near Irgachefe
Irgachefe
Irgachefe is a town in central southern Ethiopia. Located in the Gedeo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, this town has a longitude and latitude of and an elevation between 1880 and 1919 meters above sea level...
in the Abaya
Gelana Abaya
Gelana Abaya is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Borena Zone, Gelana Abaya is bordered on the south by Hagere Mariam, and on the west, north and east by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region . Lake Abaya, on the western border, is divided...
woreda of the Borena Zone. The Ethiopian footage was filmed on two occasions (in 2003 and 2005), for six weeks each time. The Ethiopian coffee farmers speak about their lives, with one explaining that he is cutting down his coffee plants and planting khat
Khat
Khat, qat, gat or Waquish Spoken from true Yemeni, is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula....
(a plant containing cathinone
Cathinone
Cathinone, or Benzoylethanamine, is a monoamine alkaloid found in the shrub Catha edulis and is chemically similar to ephedrine, cathine and other amphetamines. Cathinone induces the release of dopamine from striatal preparations that are prelabelled either with dopamine or its precursors. It is...
, an amphetamine
Amphetamine
Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...
-like stimulant) instead, due to the low price he is getting for coffee due to the explosion in coffee farmers across the globe, and the comparatively higher price he can get for khat.
The film also includes footage of the New York Board of Trade
New York Board of Trade
The New York Board of Trade , renamed ICE Futures US in September of 2007, is a wholly owned subsidiary of IntercontinentalExchange . It is a physical commodity futures exchange located in New York City. It originated in 1870 as the New York Cotton Exchange...
, a commodity trading
Commodity markets
Commodity markets are markets where raw or primary products are exchanged. These raw commodities are traded on regulated commodities exchanges, in which they are bought and sold in standardized contracts....
floor in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where the "C" international benchmark price of coffee is set each business day based on supply and demand, and explores the effects that these international prices (which by 2006 were at an all-time low) have on Ethiopian coffee growers. Other footage was shot at the first Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
and the World Barista Championship
World Barista Championship
thumb|250px|[[Barista]] [[Gwilym Davies |Gwilym Davies]] at the WBC.The World Barista Championship is the current premier barista competition, with the winners of each national barista championship competing for the world title...
at the 2005 Specialty Coffee Association of America
Specialty Coffee Association of America
The Specialty Coffee Association of America is a civilian trade organization for the specialty coffees industry, founded in 1982. The SCAA seeks to set standards for growing, roasting, and brewing premium coffees. Members of the SCAA include coffee retailers, roasters, producers, exporters and...
conference in Seattle; and at a café and the Illy
Illy
illycaffè is a brand of coffee produced in Trieste, Italy.illy produces only one blend in three roast variations: normal, dark roast, and decaffeinated. The blend is packaged as whole beans, pre-ground coffee, E.S.E. pods, or iperEspresso Capsules....
coffee company in Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. These scenes stand in stark contrast to the footage of the impoverished conditions faced by the Ethiopian coffee farmers and their families.
Although Starbucks
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
, Sara Lee, Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, Kraft
Kraft Foods
Kraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
, and Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
- the world's largest sellers of coffee - are mentioned in the film, all five companies declined invitations to be interviewed for the film.
The film's budget was US$760,000.