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As aromatic coffee is poured every day from various styles of coffeepots around the world, the laborious production process behind this beverage is often forgotten. This work, which includes separating the coffee berries from the seeds, which are then roasted and ground, was originally performed by enslaved people on coffee plantations. Forced labor remains a problem today in the three countries leading coffee production—Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia—fueling a more than $100-billion global market.

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