Coffee: a global marketplace icon

Coffee is far more than just a beverage. It is a product that boasts an extraordinarily rich history, and its cultural identity has shifted over time. This article explores how coffee secured its status as a global marketplace icon. We argue that coffee is a metamorphic product based on its capacity to assume multiple and different cultural meanings over time. First consumed for its energizing properties and use as a medical treatment, coffee has morphed from a symbol of spiritual significance to a beverage representing conquest, independence, intellectual conversations, conviviality, hedonism, counterculture, prosperity, cosmopolitan lifestyle, and craft. In this article, we retrace the history of coffee to demonstrate its metamorphic qualities and its history of providing social value, which is critical to explaining its enduring global iconic status.