The Cost of...

First broadcast May 2007

This two-part BBC World Service series brings you an exploration of the cost and value of two commodities - coffee and cotton - via workers' stories at each stage of production.

By mapping the journeys of goods from the farm to the shop floor in two vivid soundscapes of trade, it captures the real cost of cheap crops.

Part Two: Coffee

Over the past decade the price of raw coffee has fallen by two thirds - while the market for take-away coffees has trebled, from $30 billion to $90 billion per year.

From farm to cafe, the coffee travels over 6,000 kilometres - and increases a total of 16 times in price.

While charity organisations like Oxfam believe the coffee industry is unfairly balanced against farmers, the coffee shops owners in the West deny making a big profit out of coffee beans.

So who is creaming off the profits, and who is counting the cost of working in the coffee industry?

Series Producer: David Cook

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