A Tree Grows... for Years
It takes 5 years for a coffee tree to mature, and while the trees can grow to 30 feet tall, they're usually kept at 10 for easier picking. A day's wage for many of those who harvest the beans on the hillsides of South America? Equal to about the price of a tall latte in the U.S., says Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds. Some 125M people worldwide depend on the coffee harvest for income.
