October 1: International Coffee Day

October 1: International Coffee Day

From an Industry Initiative to an Official Date on the Global Calendar

For fourteen years, we at SamCoffee Roasters have taken coffee seriously. It is something we engage with every day. But our interest goes beyond coffee itself. We are equally interested in the journeys it makes possible and the spaces that form around it.

A cup of coffee at a roadside café or at the end of a challenging hike can turn the fatigue of a long journey into a moment of pleasure. Coffee can be enjoyed in a café or become an occasion for conversation at home. Coffee is at the heart of all these experiences. Yet, when we look more closely, we realize that its value extends well beyond the bean itself.

Coffee travels a long way before reaching our cups. Its journey begins on a farm, with the producer, and continues through processing, transportation and roasting before reaching the person who brews it and, ultimately, the person who drinks it.

At every stage of this journey, different people are involved. People with their own experiences, expertise, perspectives and choices. Much of coffee's value is created through the connections and collaboration between those who make up this chain. Each takes responsibility for a particular stage, working with dedication to ensure that the final product reaches the person who needs it.

From the farmer who grows the coffee to the barista who serves it, from the roaster and importer to someone enjoying a cup in a café, at home, at a roadside kiosk or anywhere else.

October 1 (9 Mehr), International Coffee Day, offers an opportunity to talk not only about coffee itself, but also about the people who shape its journey and those who take part in it.

One Day, Two Milestones

Coffee has become an inseparable part of everyday life for many of us. A cup to start the morning, another in the middle of a working day, one shared in conversation or one to ease our fatigue.

Yet behind this everyday habit lies an agricultural product that connects a global network, from farms to cafés and from producers to traders and consumers. It is precisely because of the scale of this network that coffee has its own international day: International Coffee Day.

In 2014, the member countries of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) agreed that the first International Coffee Day would be celebrated on October 1, 2015. More than a decade later, on March 10, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly also designated October 1 as International Coffee Day through Resolution A/RES/80/248.

Therefore, 2026 cannot be considered the year International Coffee Day was established. What changed this year was its status. An occasion that initially emerged within the global coffee industry has now become part of the United Nations' official calendar of international observances.

To understand why this day was added to the calendar, we need to look back at the moment when the coffee industry first sought to establish a shared global date for coffee.

2015 | When Coffee Found a Shared Global Date

Before International Coffee Day was established, different countries had already designated their own days to celebrate coffee. The ICO proposed creating a single date in place of these separate occasions, allowing the coffee industry and coffee communities around the world to celebrate together.

The International Coffee Organization continues to describe the origins of this occasion in the same terms: the creation of a single global day.

Formal discussions about the idea date back to at least 2013. That year, the International Coffee Council considered a proposal to establish International Coffee Day under the auspices of the ICO and subsequently invited member countries to suggest their preferred dates. The options included September 29, September 30 and October 1.

The final decision was made in March 2014. October 1 had received the largest number of nominations from member countries.

During the discussions, September 29 was also considered as an alternative, as it coincided with the beginning or end of the coffee crop year in some producing countries. Nevertheless, following consultations among members, the International Coffee Council agreed that the first International Coffee Day would take place on October 1, 2015.

The inaugural celebration was held in Milan, alongside a meeting of the International Coffee Council and the Global Coffee Forum. However, the occasion was not limited to a single central event.

ICO reports show that in its first year, nearly 70 events across 35 countries were registered on the International Coffee Day website, while 28 associations from around the world also participated in promoting the occasion.

2026 | When the Same Day Gained Official UN Recognition

More than ten years after the first International Coffee Day, another development changed the status of the occasion.

This time, the process began with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). On July 4, 2025, at its 44th session, the FAO Conference adopted a resolution entitled "International Coffee Day". The proposal was subsequently submitted to the United Nations General Assembly for consideration.

On March 10, 2026, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution A/RES/80/248. Its first paragraph is clear and concise: the General Assembly decided to designate October 1 as International Coffee Day.

At first glance, this decision might appear to mark the creation of an entirely new international observance. But the distinction lies elsewhere.

Since 2015, October 1 had already been recognised as the global coffee industry's shared international day, established at the initiative of the ICO.

What changed in 2026 was the institutional status of the date. International Coffee Day is now also recognised through a UN General Assembly resolution, which invites Member States, United Nations entities, civil society, local communities, the private sector, academic institutions and other stakeholders to participate in its observance.

Within this framework, the FAO has not been tasked with replacing the ICO. Instead, the resolution calls on the FAO to facilitate the observance of the day in collaboration with relevant organizations, particularly the ICO.

In other words, 2026 does not mark the beginning of International Coffee Day. It marks the moment when an occasion established by the global coffee community gained more formal recognition within the United Nations.

This development also raises an important question: why does coffee matter enough for the UN General Assembly to designate an international day for it?

Why Does Coffee Matter to the United Nations?

To answer this question, we need to trace coffee's journey backwards, starting from the cup.

Before coffee beans are roasted, ground and brewed, they are part of a vast agricultural and economic network on which millions of people depend.

According to United Nations data, approximately 25 million farming households worldwide, primarily in developing countries, produce around 80 percent of the world's coffee.

For many of these communities, coffee is a primary source of income and an important part of the local economy. The UN resolution also emphasizes the economic significance of coffee for many families and developing countries.

This economic value extends throughout the supply chain, from production and processing to trade, roasting and consumption in importing countries.

However, the value generated is not necessarily distributed equally.

The resolution emphasizes the need for a more equitable distribution of income throughout the coffee value chain, particularly to support smallholder farmers.

The United Nations' official website also highlights market volatility, rising costs and inequalities in income distribution. These factors can leave small producers bearing a substantial share of the risks without receiving a proportionate share of the value of the final product.

This is how Resolution A/RES/80/248 connects coffee to broader issues such as poverty, food security and employment.

Food security, in this context, has less to do with coffee as a beverage and more to do with stable incomes for producing households, rural employment and their ability to access food and withstand economic and agricultural shocks.

At the same time, coffee is more than an economic commodity.

The resolution recognizes its historical, social and cultural significance. Across different societies, coffee has become closely associated with social interaction, everyday traditions and diverse cultural practices.

The coffee supply chain therefore connects very different people and places: from producing communities to export markets, and from roasters to cafés and consumers.

There is also another dimension to consider: the environment.

The resolution encourages Member States and other stakeholders to pay attention to coffee's economic, social and environmental impacts, as well as its relationship with the functioning of ecosystems.

Through its programs related to the coffee sector, the FAO has also focused on issues such as climate change adaptation, agricultural practices, pest management and the development of more resilient coffee varieties.

When we speak of "sustainable coffee", then, we are not simply using a marketing phrase. We are referring to approaches to production and trade that can protect both producers' livelihoods and the natural resources on which coffee production depends over the long term.

From this perspective, the reasons for establishing an international day for coffee become clearer.

It is not simply about the product in our cups. It is about the people, livelihoods, cultures and environments that make it possible for that product to reach us.

What Is International Coffee Day Intended to Highlight?

In light of everything discussed so far, celebrating coffee takes on a broader meaning.

Appreciating coffee culture and the pleasure of drinking coffee is part of the occasion. But alongside that enjoyment come more difficult questions.

Who produces our coffee? How is the value generated throughout the supply chain distributed? What impact does coffee production have on natural resources? And what forms of collaboration can make the chain more resilient to economic and environmental pressures?

Perhaps the most important function of International Coffee Day is precisely this shift in perspective: for one day, rather than focusing solely on the cup itself, we consider the journey that brings it into our hands.

The UN General Assembly resolution calls on countries, international organizations, local communities, the private sector, academic institutions and other stakeholders to use the occasion to raise awareness of coffee's economic, social and environmental impacts and to share experiences and effective practices.

The aim is not simply to draw more attention to coffee, but to bring greater visibility to the issues, people and decisions that shape its supply chain.

This perspective makes International Coffee Day an opportunity for dialogue between groups that usually occupy very different positions within the chain: farmers and producing communities, governments, international organizations, researchers, businesses and other industry stakeholders.

The FAO has also described the occasion as a platform for collaboration, knowledge-sharing and action across the coffee value chain.

October 1, 2026 | The Same Date, a New Status

October 1, 2026, will mark the first International Coffee Day since the date received official recognition from the United Nations General Assembly. It represents the moment when an occasion established within the coffee industry becomes part of the UN's formal calendar of international observances.

For the first celebration under this new framework, the FAO has chosen the theme "Celebrating Coffee, Honoring the People Behind Every Cup".

The phrase perhaps captures why, ultimately, this day is about something much greater than the beverage itself.

The cup sitting on our table is the end of a long journey, from the land and agricultural production to processing, trade, roasting and brewing.

International Coffee Day gives us an opportunity, at least for one day, to trace that journey in reverse and recognize the vast network of people, livelihoods, cultures and natural environments behind something that appears so simple.

This year, SamCoffee Roasters has also chosen its own message for International Coffee Day:

"Coffee reaches many people. It passes through many hands."

Through this message, SamCoffee Roasters aims to highlight the diversity of coffee and the significant role it plays in different people's lives. People who, despite their very different circumstances, may find that coffee is the one thing they share, and perhaps the very thing that brings them together.