When you think of coffee and its growing areas, you immediately have South America and Africa in your mind’s eye. The reason for this is simple: the sensitive coffee plant needs specific, finely tuned climatic conditions in order to grow optimally and produce aromatic beans. Coffee export is therefore not possible everywhere, but only where there is a mild climate without frost all year round: in the so-called coffee belt on the equator. The growing areas of the coffee exporters range from Africa to Asia, the Caribbean, South America to Australia. Depending on the growing area, the coffee has a taste that is typical of the region. We have put together a list for you of who is among the largest coffee exporters and how coffee exports behave worldwide.
At the top of coffee exporters: Brazil
Although Africa is the actual homeland of our coffee, exports from there account for only one-sixth of coffee production. The largest coffee exporter, on the other hand, is Brazil with a 34% share of the global export volume. There are approximately 300,000 coffee farms across the country, covering up to 25,000 hectares.
In Brazil, the beans are usually harvested by hand from May to November and usually dried directly in the sun. Coffee is one of the most important export goods and is mainly shipped to the USA and Europe. However, the Brazilians drink almost half of their coffee production themselves.
Second place: Vietnam
After Brazil, Vietnam accounts for about 14% of global coffee exports. The market in Vietnam is strictly regulated: since Vietnam is often accused of price dumping, there is a government-limited acreage of around 630,000 hectares that can be used for coffee cultivation. The hardy and high-yielding Robusta variety, which is mainly used for instant coffee products, is grown almost exclusively.
Third place with special features: Indonesia
7% of coffee exports worldwide come from Indonesia, mainly Robusta is harvested here. Even if Indonesia is summarized as a coffee-growing region, there are regional differences and peculiarities. The island of Java, for example, is well known: the Arabica or Java beans grown here account for 8% of Indonesian coffee exports.
In Sumatra, the coffee cherries are peeled wet using the so-called “Giling Basah” method.
The most expensive coffee in the world, the Kopi Luwak, is very complex to produce. The coffee cherries are first eaten and excreted by the civet species Fleckenmusang. The bacteria and enzymes in the cat’s digestive tract make the bitter substances in the coffee cherries almost completely disappear, which has a very positive effect on the taste of the coffee.
Another special feature of Indonesia is a certain form of storage in connection with the after-ripening effect of the coffee beans. The so-called warehouse coffee picks up on the circumstances of the earlier coffee exporters, where the beans had to make a long journey on their way to Europe. Today, the beans mature in special warehouses and are processed into the Old Java, Old Government or Old Brown varieties.
Fourth place: Colombia
The most well-known coffee-growing region in Latin America is Colombia, which produces about 6% of the world’s coffee exports. In contrast to Vietnam and Indonesia, however, Arabica beans are almost exclusively grown in Colombia for coffee export. The coffee beans can be harvested twice a year thanks to the optimum climatic conditions in the country’s high altitudes. Colombian coffee is known all over the world for its special mildness and is valued and loved by coffee connoisseurs.
Country of origin in fifth place: Ethiopia
Ethiopia is the country of origin of coffee and 5% of coffee exports, especially the Arabica variety, are shipped from here. Every fourth inhabitant of Ethiopia earns his living from coffee production. And although Ethiopia is one of the world’s largest coffee exporters, most of the production remains domestic.
Coffee is important to Ethiopians and growing coffee is part of the country’s tradition. The most legendary coffee from here is the Harrar, which is grown at an altitude of 1500 to 2100 meters and whose beans have a special golden yellow, almost amber color.
