Brazil faced a coffee surplus problem in the 1930s.
The Great Depression of 1929 caused a dramatic decline in the global economy and demand for coffee.
Consumers around the world had less money to spend on non-essential goods.
International trade contracted sharply, making it difficult to export Brazilian coffee.
Brazil had dramatically expanded its coffee production in the 1920s, a time when prices were high and demand was strong.
By the time the depression hit, the country had large plantations producing far more coffee than the global market could absorb.