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Why Switzerland is considered a land of coffee

No coffee beans grow in Switzerland. Yet the country is the world’s second-largest exporter of coffee. How is that possible?

Switzerland imports large quantities of green coffee beans and roasts them domestically. This process constitutes a “substantial transformation” of the product. Under international trade law, the coffee can therefore be classified as Swiss.

But the coffee business also has a darker side. Historically, it is closely tied to colonialism. While Switzerland never had colonies of its own, Swiss entrepreneurs were involved in plantations, trade networks and the transport of enslaved people.

Find out more in our video:

Read more about Switzerland as a land of coffee in our article

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A barista creates a design using warm frothed milk on a latte

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Swiss oddities

How Switzerland became a land of coffee

This content was published on How did a small country with no domestic coffee cultivation become the world’s second‑largest coffee exporter?

Read more: How Switzerland became a land of coffee

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