Every coffee enthusiast is familiar with the various ways of grinding and brewing coffee and the numerous coffee-based beverages available. Yet, very few know the nations behind it all; the world’s top coffee-producing countries.
Brazil is the world’s leading coffee producer and has held that title for the past 150 odd years. Following suit are Vietnam, Columbia, Indonesia, and Ethiopia. While they all produce a wide array of coffee beans, Vietnam produces the most Robusta coffee beans.
What these countries have in common is the fact that they began producing coffee long before it became the morning beverage of choice in several regions. What’s more, they possess a suitable tropical climate for coffee plantations.
Which Country Produces the Most Coffee?
Brazil has been the world’s largest coffee producer for over 150 years. Despite being a billion-dollar industry, the coffee-producing scene only has a handful of participants, with Brazil as its largest one.
Every year the country accounts for roughly 40% of the global production, with some classic Brazilian coffee brands including Café Pilão and Brazil Yellow Bourbon Coffee (both on Amazon).
Optimal Location
Brazil possesses what experts describe as a beneficial climate and soil for coffee farming. The country takes advantage of that by covering approximately 27,000 square kilometers of its surface area with coffee plantations, most of which are located in Parana, Minas Gerais, and Sao Paulo.
Like every other natural commodity, coffee can’t be grown and produced everywhere. Optimal conditions for effective growth include rich soils, minimal diseases and pests, and a primarily warm tropical climate.
Several parts of the globe, namely the Caribbean, African countries located close to the equator, the middle east, and south and north America, feature these conditions.
Other Resources
What sets Brazil apart is that in addition to favorable weather conditions, it also has other necessary resources like costly machinery and equipment.
In addition to producing coffee, Brazil is the world’s leading coffee exporter, with exportation averaging 37% of global coffee exports. Therefore, it’s safe to say that the country will remain in its position of dominance for the foreseeable future.
What Other Countries are Top Contenders?
Brazil may be the world’s largest coffee producer, but it’s not the only nation with a suitable climate to produce coffee. The coffee-producing market is large, with numerous participants. The following are the top 4 producers after Brazil:
Vietnam
Vietnam is the second largest coffee producer, with a total market share of 17.1% as of 2020. Coffee was introduced to Vietnamese soil by the French in the 1800s as a result of colonialism. It was initially grown for private consumption until the first farms were established in the late 1800s.
From there, coffee production grew astronomically, and as of now, Vietnam is not only the second largest coffee producer but the largest producer of Robusta coffee beans.
Columbia
Coffee production in Colombia began in 1830, and with its micro-tropical climates and mountainous terrains, the country produces the third largest yearly coffee yield after Brazil and Vietnam. Unlike Vietnam, which primarily produces Robusta, Columbia’s farms yield a wide variety of coffee beans.
Indonesia
Indonesia mainly produces Robusta coffee beans, but some of its plantations include Arabica. The country’s planted area is concentrated on the island of Sumatera.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia was initially the first country to grow coffee centuries ago. So it only makes sense to make the top 5 producing countries in modern times.
How Much Coffee is Produced in Each Country Each Year
Collectively, each of these countries produces roughly 75% of the market share. Here’s how they individually contribute to it on average;
- Brazil: The average yearly production is 43 million bags, measured in 60kg bags.
- Vietnam: Vietnam’s yearly production is more or less 28 million bags.
- Columbia: Columbia makes the list with roughly 11.5 million bags a year.
- Indonesia: Indonesia’s production averages 11.35 million bags yearly.
- Ethiopia: Ethiopia’sproduction is around 7200 bags.
How Much Money do These Countries Make from Coffee Each Year?
The coffee industry is a billion-dollar industry. Coffee producers make large amounts of money from selling and exporting coffee bags.
In 2021, Brazil exported $5.8 billion worth of coffee, while Columbia and Vietnam made $3.2 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively. On the other hand, Indonesia sold $851 million worth of coffee bags, and EEthiopia’scoffee exports amounted to $1.2 billion.
It’s evident that coffee-producing nations make colossal amounts of money. Still, the net export values have to be analyzed to get a more realistic idea of how much money they’re actually making. Simply put, their profits from trades are more telling of the amount of money they’re making from coffee.
Conclusion
Several other nations participate in the production of coffee, but those mentioned above top 5 are responsible for more than half of the global output.
They’ve, however, experienced a few setbacks over the years. Currently, their biggest challenge is overcoming climate change which tends to hinder efficient coffee production.