P. Navarro Villa
Research expert covering food and agriculture in Latin America
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Brazil is by far the largest global producer of coffee, with more than double the production of runner-up Vietnam. Throughout the years, Brazilian coffee production has remained relatively stable. Despite the biennial effect in harvest, in which production yields are very high one year and comparably low the following, the country's output has consistently remained above 40 million 60-kilogram bags per year since the beginning of the decade. And this is despite the focus on foreign trade, which makes Brazil the largest coffee exporter in the world.Colombian coffee: mild and popular
Colombia is famous for its mild and balanced coffee. It is the third-largest coffee producer worldwide and the second largest in Latin America and, although exports have declined in recent years due to different factors, it is still the second largest exporter in Latin America. As for domestic consumption, there was a significant jump in 2020 and has remained steady since 2021. Colombians tend to prefer roasted ground coffee over soluble coffee, representing almost three-quarters of the consumption volume.Central America: The Bean Belt
In the world of coffee, Central America is often referred to as the “Bean Belt” due to its coffee friendly climate and the variety of profiles and flavors of the beans produced there. Honduras is the third largest producer in the region, having produced around 7,200 thousand 60-kilogram bags of arabica coffee beans in 2022. Other countries, such as Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and El Salvador, have become leading producers in the region.Looking towards the future
In recent years, the coffee industry in Latin America and the Caribbean has seen the impacts of climate change. While Brazil had lower rainfall and a dry spell that was longer than usual, Colombia experienced more rain than in previous years, causing production to decrease in coffee years 2021/22 and 2022/23. Other factors, such as increased global and regional consumption, as well as food inflation, represented a significant jump in value, particularly when it came to exports. Productivity has bounced back in the coffee year 2022/23 and is forecast to increase in countries like Brazil, but extreme weather conditions are likely to continue affecting coffee production in the region.
