Coffee trading

Hi! I worked in origin as a junior coffee trader (physical). I learned the basics of the industry, everything I needed to know about the mkt, was in charge of the company's trading position,

6 Comments
 

Yes, I graduated recently. I plan to eventually manage a team, and the way things work in the industry are still awfully traditional and outdated. While coffee roasters change their practices, this specific type of trading doesn’t. As a professional in my 20s, thought it was the right time to be exposed to knowledge from other industries and technologies. Also, for me this was more of a personal decision too. I couldn’t stay in origin any longer. It’s not easy living in a third world country for 2 years, and wouldn’t want to do it again.

 
Most Helpful

I would caution you on the "outdated" take. I'm not in coffee but the traditional model for a lot of commodity traders has been incredibly resilient over time. The fact these companies are around after the invention of the internet and instant communication says a lot. I'm in metals and the way my desk is run seems to ignore pretty much any management theory from the past 100 years, yet somehow it works. I would never hire someone who told me they knew better how to run a trading desk unless they had experience doing it somewhere bigger than my shop, and I suspect it will be much the same for the traders you reach out to.

This said, don't underestimate how hard Covid has made recruiting, things will hopefully loosen up in the next 6 months to a year.

 

Quaerat eaque laboriosam magnam sapiente. Rerum molestias sit consectetur in qui ex quaerat ratione. Et ex porro provident aut velit porro. Est maiores similique at a. Rem fugit rerum voluptatem ratione sunt modi est. Voluptas eaque sit nisi ducimus. Voluptates et doloribus voluptas non dolor velit mollitia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”