Coffee, the breakfast beverage of choice for hundreds of millions around the globe, energizes people and businesses everyday. But how often do coffee addicts drinkers think about the economic impact of their daily coffees? The infographic below from Mint.com illustrates where coffee comes from, who is consuming it, and what it means for the global economy.

After the graphic jump down to read and contribute to my idea for a research assignment I’m trying to develop for the World Studies course I’m teaching next semester.

Personal Finance Software – Mint.com

H/T to Cool Infographics for the link.

Applications for Education
This infographic gave me the idea to design a research project in which students pick a product that is a part of their daily lives then trace the economic value of that product for all of the people involved in its production and consumption. I’m thinking that students could investigate the economic value of things like cotton, wheat, sugar, corn syrup (found in almost every soda and energy drink), and other products they use or consume everyday without thinking about where they came from.

As part of demonstrating what they find in their research, I’m thinking that students could create Google Maps with placemarks containing information about the economic impacts of their chosen product on various regions or countries. Again, I just got this idea today so if you have suggestions for it, please leave a comment.