Before Lebanon was struck with successive crises, the people used to start their day with drinking a cup of coffee as they listened to Fairuz. Today, they start with drinking coffee in order to calm down and thus start looking for gasoline, medicine and what to eat. In both cases, a cup of coffee is deemed essential so how much does it cost today?

“The price of one kilogram of coffee beans hovers between 45,000 and 65,000 Lebanese pounds after it used to be sold for 10,000 LBP,” an employee at a shop selling roasted coffee beans told Sawt Beirut International (SBI) reporter Sara Chehadeh. Therefore, he said, the selling has declined as a result of high prices.

In Sidon, a cup of coffee is still being sold on the streets for less than 1,000 LBP while 1 kg of coffee beans in shops ranges between 48,000 to 60,000 LBP and in some areas, it reaches up to 100,000 LBP or more.

Coffee remains one of the essential commodities. Will traders who monopolize foodstuffs and basic goods let us enjoy it?