Anyone for coffeet coffee, often known as"black gold." is the world's top selling product after oil It is grown in 60 countries and is worth round s billion per year. However, while affluent consumers pay several dollars for a cup of coffee helping international companies to make millions in profit the coffee farmers themselves enjoy few benefits. An average coffee farmer receives less than three U S. cents for a $3 cup of coffee Because they are forced to sell at the lowest possible price, they remain caught /stuck /trapped in poverty, sometimes even having to sell their crop at greatly /highly /well below the cost of production. When market prices hit a 30-year low in 2001 the nightmare for coffee farmers got even worse. Due to the drop/slump/ dive in price, many farmers went bankrupt. and whole families became unemployed and abandoned their fields to move to cities.