International Coffee Organization

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) was set up in 1963 in London under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) due to the economic importance of coffee. It administers the International Coffee Agreement (ICA) which is an important instrument for development cooperation.

The ICO was a result of the five-year International Coffee Agreement (ICA) signed in 1962 at the UN in New York City. The ICA was renegotiated in 1968, 1976, 1983, 1994, and 2007 at the ICO in London. The ICA administers a quota system to stabilize fluctuating coffee prices across the world between coffee producing and consuming countries.

The mission of the ICO is "...to strengthen the global coffee sector and promote its sustainable expansion in a market-based environment for the benefit of all actors in the Global Coffee Value Chain (G-CVC)."

The ICO's headquarters is located at 222 Gray's Inn Road in London and its current executive director is the Brazilian Vanúsia Nogueira.

The United States officially withdrew from the International Coffee Agreement in June 2018. As of February 2, 2022, ICO Member Governments represent 93% of world coffee production and 63% of world consumption.