Seven Facts About National Coffee Day

      Some of you may have heard that yesterday, September 29th, was National Coffee Day.  I'll be honest and confess that it's only been in the last couple of years that I've even heard of the event.  Well, guess what?  It's real and it's been around for at least 30 years.  And here are six more facts about National Coffee Day...- It's actually International Coffee Day, but each participating country celebrates it as National Coffee Day.  This struck me when I noticed chains in the US giving away free coffee to celebrate, while friends of mine in Canada were also celebrating it as "National".- There are actually a total of six countries that celebrate National Coffee Day on September 29th.  In addition to the US and Canada, they are England, Ethiopia, Malaysia, and Sweden.

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- The first known celebration of an International Coffee Day was in Japan in 1983, celebrated on October 1st.     - The purpose of the day?  To celebrate the delicious beverage we all love.  The tragedy of it?  It is also meant to recognize the plight of coffee farmers in poor countries, a message that tends to get lost when in practice, it seems more about McDonalds and Starbucks giving out free coffee samples.- The first known reference to National Coffee Day in the US was in 2005, so if you're getting the news late, don't worry - it's less than a ten year old tradition.  Start gearing up now for next year!- Coffee producing countries that celebrate Coffee Day in addition to Ethiopia are Brazil (May 24th) and Costa Rica (September 12th).As David Cook, owner of Fire Roasted Coffee, says, "Happy International Coffee Day! or as we like to call it...Sunday."