People love coffee, it’s very rare that I meet someone who does not enjoy a cup of joe. As a matter of fact I’m sitting here typing this while sipping on some of the cheap stuff purchased at the local grocery. Just go into any local coffee shop in the morning and it will be packed with customers, all waiting for their chance to pay $5 for a cup of black liquid gold. Have you ever really stopped to think about just how important storing coffee for bartering after SHTF will be? When you examine how important coffee is to modern commerce, take into account how many people drink or even depend on coffee to accomplish their daily routines, it immediately becomes apparent that socking away a few extra pounds (or more) of coffee for SHTF is the only prudent thing to do.
Take a look at some of these coffee stats.
- Coffee is the US’s largest food import and second most valuable commodity (oil is #1).
- US coffee drinkers consume on average 3.1 cups per day.
- There are more than 100 million US coffee drinkers.
- Retail coffee sales in 2011 in the US topped 4.52 Billion.
- At least 30 million Americans drink 5 cups a day or more.
- 3 out of every 4 consumers are addicted to caffeine.
This statement pretty much sums up all of those stats nicely and highlights why coffee will always remain relevant and in high demand.
“Consumers still see coffee as an integral part of their everyday lives,” said Robert Nelson, President and CEO of the National Coffee Association. “Even if economic conditions cause some to alter their coffee choices, they are nonetheless continuing to enjoy coffee at levels very much on par with recent years.”
So what have we established here, the fact that people love coffee? That’s nothing new I suppose but what you might not have realized is the true size and scope with respect to the overwhelming demand for coffee, a demand which will most certainly not diminish if a SHTF scenario plays out. People not only love coffee but 3 out of 4 drinkers need it to function throughout the day. For those of us who slept through economics that means that there is (and always will be) a demand for coffee. If you are capable of incorporating coffee into your storage plan that means you will be able to fill the coffee demand for those who are in need (read: barter).
Long term coffee storage can present a few challenges, especially if simply trying to keep cans of Folgers (ground, beans, instant) on the basement shelf. There are better solutions which can be explored, such as purchasing unroasted canned green coffee beans, these have a shelf life of over 20 years. San Marco Coffee offers a coffee pail with a 10 year storage life, again these beans require roasting.
I would encourage you to (at the very least) snag up a few containers of coffee and store them in the basement. Once the one year (example: Folgers singles) shelf life is over rotate through them and buy more. If you are able to swing it financially long term storage options like those listed above are an even better option. For some reason coffee is an often overlooked item which does not get much attention when preparing for SHTF, yet I would counter that it should absolutely should be part of one’s prep strategy. Coffee is easy to store, easy to find (for now) and will always be in demand. Taking that into consideration, what’s your plan for storing coffee?
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Good call man. I drink at least a Monster a day… I know it’s horrible chemicals, I plan to eventually quit. Or the world economy will quit it for me:) *Addd coffee to list*
Ranger, as a card carrying coffee fanatic, you need to recheck your info, Coffee is GOOD for you! It has been shown to make us feel loved and happy, make us better people, helps prevent gall stones and kidney stones, less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s and dementia, as well as less incidence of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems and strokes! Now some have to stop drinking by early afternoon to be able to sleep well- they can drink it, just need to be aware of how it affects you. And there are SOME with issues that are worsened with caffiene, but most of us can enjoy it without guilt! YAY However, if we don’t buy it now, we may be among the sad later 😉
Coffee keeps me out of jail.
PJ,
Insightful article. I’d be interested, though, to hear about your process for canning coffee back in 98 that kept it so fresh. Would you mind expounding?
Thanks,
Merry
Author
Merry,
Not sure if I follow, canning in 98?
After my brother died in an accident, my wife and I were cleaning up/out his belongings and we happened across an unopened jar of tasters choice-instant stuff. That jar of coffee had expired over 8 years ago so we nearly tossed it, but as being a mini-prepper, I decided to do a taste test first. By golly it wasn’t too bad either for instant stuff and after 7 months now it is nearly gone. I’ve heard that canned coffee usually doesn’t last very well, but you couldn’t prove it by me!
Author
Ben thanks for the example, I think expiration dates often err on the side of caution when it comes to canned goods.
Coffee was at the top of my list (and tea for the others) 🙂
I recently decided to switch to green tea at my daytime job. This is to cut back on sugar since I am used to drinking Chinese tea without any sweetener. I found some non name brand over at this local area Indian market (India) .It turned out to be really good tea. It was one pound for about 5 dollars and a little bit goes a long way. I think part of the drinking of coffee and tea for me is that it is so much better than drinking plain water. So I am going to go back this week and pick up another 2 or 3 pounds and cross caffeine off my list.
I also found Jiaogulan tea at a local Chinese herb shop for about $8.00 for a half pound. Shopping for Jiaogulan is hit and miss but this tea tasted good (not bitter) and its good for you like genseng but cheaper. This brewed with green or black tea is good stuff. I told a freind of mine about Jiaogulan and he did his own little animal study. He started mixing it in with his dog’s food. He says that his dog has reverted back to a puppy in regard to ii’s energy level.
Author
Lux,
That’s very interesting information about the pup. One of my dogs is approaching 11 years old and while she is still active I wonder if introducing some of this tea into her diet might help. Thanks for the info.
PJ
Coffee was high on my list when I started prepping. After much research, I purchased a sampler gift set of green coffee beans from CoffeeBeansDirect.com AND I ordered a Whirly-Pop stove top popcorn maker for roasting the beans in. Very easy, and fun to do! Once I tried my own roasted beans, I KNEW I could do long term storage of green coffee beans…..
I now have 50 pounds of green beans stored in 5-pound amounts, nicely sealed in thick Mylar bags with O2 absorbers. The bags are kept in a cool, air-conditioned closet….
Coffee anyone??!
Author
Darlene, I like the whirly-pop idea. 50 lbs of coffee beans stored up is quite an accomplishment and I bet you saved quite a bit of money doing it yourself. Thanks for sharing.
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these types of posts.
I personally keep a large number of 16oz jars of Folgers instant coffee in stock, keep in 6-gallon plastic buckets with equal amounts of jarred sugar. This is one of my primary barter items, worth its weight in gold right now (at least IMHO); think what it’ll be worth after a SHTF event! I have fairly recently used a jar that was 6 years out of date (hiding among some non-food preps.), I couldn’t tell the difference in taste, it was still sealed. Why instant? Because that’s what I drink everyday! Good Luck!
After years of storing Kicking Horse coffee, I decided to start my own coffee brand, made by preppers for preppers. As much as storing green bean is cheap and effective for ultra long term solution, the truth is that very few of us will actually roast coffee in the right way after SHTF.
luckely i saw prices skyrocket bought 33 cans $5.99
some here in city rest at B.O.L.