ABSTRACT
Consuming caffeine entails more than brewing or buying. 'Going for coffee' has global implications. Coffee beans, physically removed from their place of origin, have been conceptually repackaged, and the resulting discourse operating both through and about coffee proves fascinating. While it is possible to explore coffee's packaging and marketing from a political economy or consumption perspective, this study follows Arjun Appadurai's lead to focus on commodity itself, the 'thing that is exchanged'. As such, the market becomes more than a commercial venue. It becomes the site for representation and discourse. It is with reference to the global but with thoroughly local representations that Starbucks markets its coffee. Coffee beans, distanced from their origins, have been relocated in an American chain, and it is fascinating to observe how Starbucks seemingly respects the imported commodity while managing to refashion it completely.
