The spiralling cost of a morning brew is stirring discontent in Brazil as rising grocery bills in the world’s largest coffee-growing nation eat into the popularity of leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In a supermarket in the megacity of São Paulo, 49 year-old driver Claudio said he was “astonished” by the R$145 ($25) tag on a one-kilo packet. “I blame the government,” he added. “Basic household items should not be that expensive.”
Coffee prices have jumped globally because of extreme weather linked to climate change, but the increase of almost 40 per cent in Latin America’s biggest economy last year has become symbolic of broader unhappiness over food and drink inflation that has weighed on Lula’s approval ratings.