What is the International Coffee Organization (ICO)?
The International Coffee Organization (ICO) is the intergovernmental body created in 1963 under the United Nations to administer international coffee agreements. It brings together the governments of coffee-producing and consuming countries, collects and publishes global production, export and consumption statistics, and serves as a diplomatic forum for governance issues in the global coffee sector.
The ICO was founded in London in 1963 in the context of the Cold War and agricultural commodity price-stabilisation policies. Its principal instrument was the International Coffee Agreement (ICA), a quota system by which member countries committed to maintaining coffee prices within a target range by regulating export volumes. This quota system operated from 1963 to 1989, before collapsing under pressure from the United States, which sought full market liberalisation.
Since 1989, the ICO has had no regulatory power over prices or volumes. Its role transformed into that of a statistical observatory and dialogue forum. Each year the ICO publishes the annual Coffee Report, the Coffee Barometer and monthly reports on prices, exports and global production — reference data used by the entire coffee value chain, from traders to roasters to investors.
The ICO distinguishes four main coffee categories in its statistics: Colombian Milds (high-quality washed Arabicas), Other Milds (other washed Arabicas), Brazilian Naturals (natural Arabicas primarily from Brazil), and Robustas. These categories correspond to the standard contracts on the ICE exchange in New York (C contract for Arabicas) and in London (LIFFE contract for Robustas).
Since 2016, the ICO has also been developing initiatives on sustainability (Coffee & Climate programme), gender (promotion of women in coffee value chains) and the circular economy of coffee. These programmes recognise that coffee governance cannot be limited to prices but must integrate the social and environmental dimensions of a sector that employs approximately 125 million people worldwide, the vast majority in rural areas of developing countries.
ICO: functions and key data
| Function | Description | Practical use |
|---|---|---|
| Global statistics | Production, exports, consumption by country | Reference for buyers and analysts |
| ICO indicator prices | Composite Price and by-category prices | Global coffee market barometer |
| International Coffee Agreement | Diplomatic accord without quotas since 1989 | Legal framework for international cooperation |
| Coffee & Climate | Adaptation to climate change | Support for vulnerable producing countries |
| Annual Coffee Report | Full market analysis | Strategic vision for the entire sector |