Damascus, Oct. 3 (SANA) Coffee remains a fixture of daily life in Syria, but declining purchasing power is changing how consumers buy it, with many households turning to smaller quantities as they try to maintain a longstanding habit amid rising living costs.
Estimates from the craft association representing coffee roasters put the amount handled within the formally regulated craft sector at about 100 tons, economist Mukhtar al-Ibrahim told SANA. He said the figure does not represent total consumption in Syria, which runs into thousands of tons according to import data.
Al-Ibrahim said the gap reflects large quantities of coffee handled by unlicensed workshops and shops and the parallel sector, as well as green coffee stocks held by importers and released gradually for roasting and grinding.
Syria depends entirely on imports for green coffee beans because coffee is a tropical crop that is not grown locally. Brazil and India are the leading suppliers, while statistics and periodic reports from the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce estimate average annual coffee exports to Syria at about $34 million, al-Ibrahim said.
Once imported, green coffee beans enter a domestic value chain that includes inspection, quality testing, roasting, grinding, packaging and distribution before reaching consumers.
Roasters use a tasting process known as “cupping” to assess characteristics such as aroma, sweetness, acidity, body and balance and determine the appropriate roasting profile for each type of coffee.
Coffee prices in Syria are influenced by international commodity markets and weather conditions in producing countries, as well as import, transportation, energy and local operating costs, al-Ibrahim said.
He said standard and plain coffee ranges from 1,200 to 1,700 Syrian pounds ($9.84 to $13.93) per kilogram, while higher-quality varieties can exceed 2,500 pounds ($20.49), depending on the amount of cardamom and other additives.
But declining purchasing power is reshaping consumer behavior. Many Syrian households are increasingly buying small, precisely measured quantities instead of larger packages, al-Ibrahim said.
The practice, known locally as al-ghalweh, allows consumers to buy only enough coffee for one or a few brews, helping them maintain a daily ritual while managing growing pressure on household budgets.
N.J/ABD
