Discover the 10 largest Coffee Producing Countries in the world, according to the International Coffee Organization (ICO) official data.
Have you ever wondered what country the coffee you are drinking come from? the answer to your question is most likely among the top 10 coffee producers in the world.
Immersing yourself in the pleasures of an exclusive coffee is something that few enjoy and many others want to find out.
The fondness for this drink is more than justified by its gastronomic, therapeutic, and even social qualities. And it is that a coffee lover is obliged to know from which country the coffee he or she is drinking comes.
Because believe it or not, all coffees have a different flavor, depending on their origin. It is not in vain that Colombian mild coffee has a quality premium in the international market, unlike other producing countries.
The attributes of each cup of coffee depend on the variety grown, the climate, and the process of the benefit of the bean, which is different in each country where it is produced.
Do you want to know more about the coffee world? Well, keep reading.
Here we want to show you which are the most important countries in the cultivation and export of coffee. Join us.
The top 10 coffee-producing countries in the world
In this updated list we show you, from highest to lowest, the 10 main coffee producing countries in the world.
- Brazil
- Vietnam
- Colombia
- Indonesia
- Honduras
- Ethiopia
- India
- Uganda
- Mexico
- Peru
Introduction
To say that the American continent can boast of supremacy as a coffee producer is something unusual but very true. Closely followed by Southeast Asia and Africa, these 3 regions concentrate 70% of the cultivated grains.
In these regions, the cultivation of coffee represents one of the main items on which they sustain their economy.
10 – Largest Coffee Producing Countries: Peru
Coffee arrived in Peru in 1850, introduced by European immigrants to the Chanchamayo Valley. Until the end of the 19th century, coffee growing in Peru was in a small quantity. The production was destined for national consumption and small exports to Chile.
The rise in international prices in 1887 was the trigger for Peru to become an exporter of coffee to Germany, England, and Chile. In 1930 English capitals consolidated the Chanchamayo region as the most important in coffee production in Peru.
Currently, coffee is the main agricultural export product of Peru along with asparagus. Today, coffee in Peru is grown in the inter-Andean valleys and in the eastern mountain range of the Andes, on its border with the Amazon rainforest.
The main cultivated varieties are Typica, Bourbón, Pache, Caturra, and Catimor, that is to say, Arabigo varieties.
Therefore, coffee is of excellent quality when it is grown above 1600 meters above sea level. 90% of Peruvian coffee crops grow under shade. These characteristics have made Peru be recognized for the quality of its high-altitude coffees. It is a smallholding crop that is currently being carried out by 150,000 Peruvian producers on about 330,000 hectares.
Peru produces 4.3 million bags annually (258 thousand MT) and ranks second worldwide as a producer and exporter of organic coffee.
Today it has good varieties of coffee and coffee growers, along with agronomists, roasters and baristas, who continue to fight to position high-quality origin coffees.
9 – Largest coffee producers: Mexico
Coffee arrived in Mexico at the end of the 18th century, just as it was about to gain its independence. It entered through the port of Veracruz, finally establishing itself in this state and in Chiapas, the states with the best environmental offer for cultivation.
Since then, coffee has been tattooed in the idiosyncrasy of the inhabitants of the Sierra Mexicana. So much so that many of them believe that coffee is an ancestral product, like corn or chocolate.
During the 19th century, the expansion of crops occurred in large coffee plantations. There the peasants had to work in unworthy conditions, not to say almost slavery.
However, during the second half of the same century, many foreign roasting houses arrived in the country and little by little, they have been displacing national companies.
Today these companies dominate the market, producing low-quality coffee blends that do not do justice to the best Mexican coffee.
Mexico produces annually 4.5 million bags (270 thousand tons) that represent 1.7% of world coffee production.
8 – Largest coffee producers: Uganda
The influence of Lake Victoria makes the climate in Uganda favorable for coffee cultivation. The influence of the lake allows maintaining throughout the year, temperatures between 20 and 30 ° C.
They also have two rainy seasons that favor concentrated blooms and harvests.
In Uganda, coffee was already cultivated before the arrival of the Arabs.
“European explorers in the 19th century found Robusta-type wild coffee plants, semi-cultivated in a strip that ran from West Africa to Lake Victoria.”
The local tribes chewed the grains as medicine but did not make any type of infusion from them. The harvest of the grains was done as a social and spiritual ritual. The harvested grains were offered as sacrifices to some of their deities. Only at the beginning of the 20th century did the first Arabian coffee seeds enter Uganda through Entebbe, the region where the British government had its headquarters.
From 1912 to today, the largest Arabica coffee production in Uganda comes from crops established on the slopes of Mount Elgon, the western part of the Nile, and the Rwenzori Mountains.
The mild Arabica coffee washed from the slopes of Mount Elgón is known as a high-quality origin coffee called Bugiso that has been described as the Ugandan “Blue Mountain”.
The rest of the coffee producing areas of Uganda produce lower quality Robustas coffees. In fact, Uganda is recognized as a producer of Robustas, as its production volumes of Arabigos are very low. Ugandan Robusta coffee is characterized by its neutral taste and full body. This makes it ideal for mixing.
Uganda’s coffee crops are very small. They do not exceed a hundred trees for each coffee grower. However, this does not prevent Uganda from producing annually between 4.9 and 5.1 million bags equivalent to 306 thousand tons of grain.
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7 – Largest coffee producers: India
Legend has it that in the 16th century a holy man named Baba Budam made a long journey to bring 7 fertile coffee beans from Yemen. This adventure could well cost him his life since in Yemen it was forbidden to export coffee seeds.
Baba Budam introduced these seeds in the State of Karnataka in the Southwest of the country. Specifically in Chikmagalur, where to this day 65% of Indian coffee is produced.
Today the coffee-growing area of India is concentrated in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where coffee plantations grow under the thick shade of the trees. Indian coffee growing falls on 250,000 small producers who own plots of less than 2 hectares.
The largest Indian coffee production corresponds to Robusta varieties. However, some producers today opt for high quality coffees. These specialty coffees from the state of Karnataka are characterized by their subtle flavor, medium to full body, and very characteristic moderate acidity. They display spicy notes of cardamom, cloves, pepper, nutmeg, and sometimes tropical fruits.
India produces annually between 5.2 and 5.8 million bags, which corresponds to 3.6% of world production. 80% of this coffee is exported mainly to Europe, Japan, and the Middle East.
6 – Largest coffee producers: Ethiopia
Just as Africa is considered the cradle of man, Ethiopia is also pointed out as the place of origin of the coffee tree. Legend has it that in Abyssinia (Name given to Ethiopia), a goat herder named Kaldí observed that his animals had an exalted behavior after having consumed some red fruits from a small bush.
The shepherd collected a few fruits and took them to a monk at a nearby abbey to see if he could recognize them and find out why his goats had gone crazy consuming them. The abbot saw nothing in particular in the fruits but tried to make an infusion by adding the whole cherries to the boiling water.
When he drank it, he noticed that its taste was not pleasant and threw the infusion with everything and cherries to the embers. And it was there when the miracle happened …
The cherries in contact with the flames let out all the aroma of toasted almonds. The abbot baptized these grains as Kaaba, which means a brown gemstone. Since then, coffee almonds have been roasted to make the delicious drink we know today.
Ethiopia produces 7.6 million bags of coffee beans annually, which represents 4.46% of the world’s total.
5 – Largest coffee producers: Honduras
For the second consecutive year, Honduras remains the 5th world producer of coffee. Displacing Ethiopia and India in the ranking, countries that have traditionally occupied this position.
Honduran coffee stands out for its fruity aromas and light acidity. The high altitude at which the crops are located (the average altitude of the country is more than 1000 m) favors these two characteristics.
It should be noted that Honduran plantations are grown under shade. A type of cultivation much more respectful of the environment than cultivation in the sun, which has a greater impact on soils and ecosystems.
Despite having increased its production since the 1970s, during 2018 revenues were much lower. This is due to the low price of coffee, which has had a negative impact on a large number of coffee families, not only in Honduras but in all the Arabian producing countries.
Annual coffee production in Honduras is estimated at 8.3 million bags.
4 – Largest coffee producers: Indonesia
Considered the 4th world producer of coffee, its annual production reaches 660,000 tons (7.46%).
Here the coffee tree was introduced to Jakarta (formerly Batavia) by the Dutch during the 17th century. The consolidation of this product occurred after World War II, in the 17,508 islands of the largest archipelago known to date.
Beyond the prohibitive Kopi Luwak or Civeta coffee, Indonesian beans are divided between robusta, libérica and arabica. The areas of Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi, despite having an irregular production due to climatic phenomena, concentrate 80% of the crops.
Indonesian coffee is characterized by its great body, herbal aroma, delicious flavor, and low acidity. Depending on the area, it can have hints of smoked, chocolate and spices. Indonesia produces 11.5 million bags of coffee beans annually.
3 – Largest coffee producers: Colombia
Renowned for its mild washed Arabica coffee, this South American country has very favorable climatic conditions and a long tradition in the production of high quality coffee.
The annual harvest of Colombian coffee growers is 840 thousand tons per year. One of its greatest marketing advantages is that it has ports on both oceans.
The Andean zone in its three mountain ranges, eastern, central and western is considered the most conducive to cultivation, due to its volcanic soils, its temperate climate and heights that range from 1,300 to 2,800 meters above sea level.
The exquisiteness of its best varieties and specialty coffees is indisputable, being classified in degrees of quality. The supreme represents the coffee with the largest beans and is distinguished by its strong aroma and delicate sweetness.
In addition to their appellations of origin registered in the EU, the most recognized Colombian brands bear names of the regions, farms, or communities that produce them.
These coffees are of high quality and some of them are classified as origin coffees. Thus, you can taste a Sierra Nevada coffee, a Nariño coffee, and many others full of flavor, aroma, and tradition.
Colombia is the third-largest coffee producer in terms of volume, but it continues to hold first place worldwide as a producer of mild-washed Arabica coffee.
2 – Largest Coffee producing Countries: Vietnam
Known as the 2nd largest coffee producer, it is impressive to think that this achievement was barely conceived in 30 years.
The coveted drink came to Vietnam through the French, when this area was called French Indochina. After World War II and under a communist regime, the coffee tree would play a fundamental role in the recovery of this nation.
The installation of a large number of cooperatives has driven an annual production growth of 30% since 1990. While in 1994 60% of the population was below the poverty line, in 2014 it was only 10%.
Although efforts are being made to introduce the arabica bean, most of the plantations grow robusta.
Interestingly, Vietnam is a very important hub for Starbucks. Here you can enjoy coffee with eggs, condensed milk, or ice.
1 – Largest coffee producers: Brazil
Brazilians can boast of being the largest coffee producers, with an annual production of 2,594,100 tons. Although this represents 30% of the total worldwide, its varieties do not stand out for the quality they display.
In this country, only 20% of the crops are Arabica varieties and the remaining 80% correspond to Robusta coffee. Arabica coffee is grown in the State of Minas Gerais while Conilones (Robustas) are grown in the State of Espírito Santo.
For 150 years, Brazil has been the king of coffee exports and given its climate and the size of its country, it is very likely that it will remain so for many years to come.
Brazilian and Vietnamese coffee production accounts for 50% of world coffee exports.
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