Ground coffee beans
Europe accounted for the highest dollar value worth of exported coffee during 2018 with total shipments valued at $11.6 billion or 37.4% of globally exported coffee. Close behind in second place at 32.9% was Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean ahead of coffee exporters in Asia at 16.7%. Smaller percentages belonged to Africa (6.7%), North America (5.7%), then Oceania (0.6%) led by Papua New Guinea ahead of Australia.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code prefix for coffee is 0901.
Coffee Exports by Country
Countries
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of coffee during 2018.
- Brazil: US$4.4 billion (14.1% of total coffee exports)
- Vietnam: $3.3 billion (10.5%)
- Germany: $2.5 billion (8.2%)
- Switzerland: $2.4 billion (7.6%)
- Colombia: $2.3 billion (7.5%)
- Italy: $1.7 billion (5.4%)
- France: $1.2 billion (3.7%)
- Honduras: $1.1 billion (3.6%)
- Belgium: $867.9 million (2.8%)
- United States: $861.2 million (2.8%)
- Ethiopia: $856.9 million (2.8%)
- Netherlands: $825.9 million (2.7%)
- Indonesia: $817.8 million (2.6%)
- Guatemala: $812.4 million (2.6%)
- Peru: $667.9 million (2.1%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 78.9% of global coffee exports in 2018.
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing coffee exporters since 2014 were: Netherlands (up 56%), France (up 45.1%), Honduras (up 42%) and Guatemala (up 21.6%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported coffee sales were led by: Brazil (down -27.8%), Indonesia (down -21.3%), Belgium (down -12.8%), Peru (down -10.9%) and United States (down -10.2%).
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for coffee during 2018. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s coffee exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Brazil: US$4.3 billion (net export surplus down -28.2% since 2014)
- Vietnam: $3.2 billion (down -1.4%)
- Colombia: $2.2 billion (down -9.7%)
- Switzerland: $1.6 billion (up 7.2%)
- Honduras: $1.1 billion (up 42%)
- Ethiopia: $856.9 million (up 9.4%)
- Guatemala: $811.8 million (up 21.6%)
- Peru: $663.8 million (down -11.1%)
- Indonesia: $662 million (down -33.3%)
- Uganda: $428.2 million (up 9.1%)
- Nicaragua: $419.7 million (up 5.4%)
- India: $384.5 million (down -4.5%)
- Mexico: $318.3 million (up 7.1%)
- Costa Rica: $306 million (up 19.3%)
- Kenya: $226.2 million (down -1.8%)
Brazil has the highest surplus in the international trade of coffee. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Brazil’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Opportunities
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for coffee during 2018. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s coffee import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$4.9 billion (net export deficit down -3.9% since 2014)
- France: -$1.7 billion (down -10.1%)
- Japan: -$1.2 billion (down -14.1%)
- Germany: -$919.7 million (down -39.9%)
- Spain: -$753.4 million (down -4.6%)
- United Kingdom: -$725.1 million (up 61.2%)
- Canada: -$702.2 million (down -16.1%)
- South Korea: -$632.5 million (up 21%)
- Russia: -$556.8 million (up 5.3%)
- Netherlands: -$467 million (down -22.1%)
- Australia: -$443.8 million (down -3.5%)
- Austria: -$356.4 million (up 1.5%)
- Sweden: -$274.3 million (down -23.1%)
- Poland: -$250 million (reversing a -$4.5 million deficit)
- Romania: -$236.8 million (up 29.1%)
The United States of America has the highest deficit in the international trade of coffee. In turn, this negative cashflow confirms America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for coffee-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful consumer demand.
Companies
Coffee Exporting Companies
According to the Tropical Commodity Coalition (TCC), green coffee beans are a minimally processed product accounting for approximately 95% of coffee exports. Ironically, coffee-producing countries earn very little from the sale and export of their products given that a large share of coffee supply chain profits go to middlemen and large roaster conglomerates.
International coffee trading companies operating in producer countries via joint ventures with local middlemen. The following are examples of coffee-trading companies located in the country shown within parentheses:
- Barbera Coffee Company (Italy)
- Coffee Cabana Brazil (Brazil)
- Maxwell House (United States)
- Miko Coffee (Belgium)
- Nestlé (Switzerland)
- Neumann Gruppe AG (Germany)
- O’Coffee – Brazilian Estates (Brazil)
- Ospina Coffee Company (Colombia)
- Simexco Daklak Ltd (Vietnam)
- Starbucks Corporation (United States)
Searchable List of Coffee Exporting Countries in 2018
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below.
| Rank | Exporter | Coffee Exports (US$) | %World Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Brazil | $4,371,253,000 | 14.1% |
| 2. | Vietnam | $3,261,049,000 | 10.5% |
| 3. | Germany | $2,537,956,000 | 8.2% |
| 4. | Switzerland | $2,350,450,000 | 7.6% |
| 5. | Colombia | $2,335,423,000 | 7.5% |
| 6. | Italy | $1,693,925,000 | 5.4% |
| 7. | France | $1,165,340,000 | 3.7% |
| 8. | Honduras | $1,112,180,000 | 3.6% |
| 9. | Belgium | $867,933,000 | 2.8% |
| 10. | United States | $861,204,000 | 2.8% |
| 11. | Ethiopia | $856,931,000 | 2.8% |
| 12. | Netherlands | $825,940,000 | 2.7% |
| 13. | Indonesia | $817,790,000 | 2.6% |
| 14. | Guatemala | $812,375,000 | 2.6% |
| 15. | Peru | $667,893,000 | 2.1% |
| 16. | India | $520,163,000 | 1.7% |
| 17. | Canada | $504,661,000 | 1.6% |
| 18. | Uganda | $436,084,000 | 1.4% |
| 19. | Nicaragua | $419,815,000 | 1.4% |
| 20. | Mexico | $404,869,000 | 1.3% |
| 21. | United Kingdom | $353,768,000 | 1.1% |
| 22. | Poland | $333,630,000 | 1.1% |
| 23. | Costa Rica | $318,486,000 | 1% |
| 24. | Spain | $279,034,000 | 0.9% |
| 25. | Kenya | $231,784,000 | 0.7% |
| 26. | China | $230,496,000 | 0.7% |
| 27. | Czech Republic | $169,501,000 | 0.5% |
| 28. | Slovakia | $163,013,000 | 0.5% |
| 29. | Papua New Guinea | $162,331,000 | 0.5% |
| 30. | Sweden | $149,622,000 | 0.5% |
| 31. | Tanzania | $148,392,000 | 0.5% |
| 32. | Ivory Coast | $137,233,000 | 0.4% |
| 33. | El Salvador | $113,400,000 | 0.4% |
| 34. | Austria | $87,913,000 | 0.3% |
| 35. | Portugal | $87,209,000 | 0.3% |
| 36. | Bulgaria | $84,698,000 | 0.3% |
| 37. | Rwanda | $69,003,000 | 0.2% |
| 38. | Laos | $63,671,000 | 0.2% |
| 39. | Slovenia | $61,798,000 | 0.2% |
| 40. | Luxembourg | $55,266,000 | 0.2% |
| 41. | Singapore | $51,311,000 | 0.2% |
| 42. | Lithuania | $51,103,000 | 0.2% |
| 43. | Denmark | $48,912,000 | 0.2% |
| 44. | Hungary | $46,736,000 | 0.2% |
| 45. | Finland | $40,334,000 | 0.1% |
| 46. | Burundi | $39,174,000 | 0.1% |
| 47. | Russia | $36,015,000 | 0.1% |
| 48. | Cameroon | $35,092,000 | 0.1% |
| 49. | Latvia | $34,384,000 | 0.1% |
| 50. | United Arab Emirates | $31,037,000 | 0.1% |
| 51. | Japan | $30,247,000 | 0.1% |
| 52. | Australia | $27,858,000 | 0.1% |
| 53. | Ireland | $25,242,000 | 0.1% |
| 54. | Lebanon | $24,387,000 | 0.1% |
| 55. | South Africa | $23,005,000 | 0.1% |
| 56. | Panama | $20,222,000 | 0.1% |
| 57. | Jamaica | $19,951,000 | 0.1% |
| 58. | Timor-Leste | $19,843,000 | 0.1% |
| 59. | Yemen | $19,020,000 | 0.1% |
| 60. | Greece | $19,002,000 | 0.1% |
| 61. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $18,653,000 | 0.1% |
| 62. | Hong Kong | $18,463,000 | 0.1% |
| 63. | Croatia | $18,266,000 | 0.1% |
| 64. | Congo | $16,849,000 | 0.1% |
| 65. | Guinea | $16,699,000 | 0.1% |
| 66. | Malaysia | $15,943,000 | 0.1% |
| 67. | Togo | $15,736,000 | 0.1% |
| 68. | Ecuador | $13,784,000 | 0.04% |
| 69. | Turkey | $12,082,000 | 0.04% |
| 70. | Romania | $11,177,000 | 0.04% |
| 71. | Djibouti | $11,135,000 | 0.04% |
| 72. | Taiwan | $10,263,000 | 0.03% |
| 73. | Bolivia | $9,426,000 | 0.03% |
| 74. | Dominican Republic | $9,374,000 | 0.03% |
| 75. | Jordan | $8,468,000 | 0.03% |
| 76. | Saudi Arabia | $7,707,000 | 0.02% |
| 77. | Serbia | $7,648,000 | 0.02% |
| 78. | Cuba | $7,480,000 | 0.02% |
| 79. | Estonia | $6,484,000 | 0.02% |
| 80. | Israel | $5,698,000 | 0.02% |
| 81. | Venezuela | $5,675,000 | 0.02% |
| 82. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $5,523,000 | 0.02% |
| 83. | Kuwait | $4,969,000 | 0.02% |
| 84. | South Korea | $4,788,000 | 0.02% |
| 85. | Thailand | $4,251,000 | 0.01% |
| 86. | Armenia | $4,086,000 | 0.01% |
| 87. | New Zealand | $3,872,000 | 0.01% |
| 88. | Sierra Leone | $3,786,000 | 0.01% |
| 89. | Syria | $3,708,000 | 0.01% |
| 90. | Norway | $3,466,000 | 0.01% |
| 91. | Sri Lanka | $3,301,000 | 0.01% |
| 92. | Malawi | $3,137,000 | 0.01% |
| 93. | Myanmar (Burma) | $2,740,000 | 0.01% |
| 94. | Belarus | $2,155,000 | 0.01% |
| 95. | North Macedonia | $2,063,000 | 0.01% |
| 96. | Ukraine | $1,767,000 | 0.01% |
| 97. | Macao | $1,491,000 | 0.005% |
| 98. | Zimbabwe | $1,406,000 | 0.005% |
| 99. | Angola | $1,346,000 | 0.004% |
| 100. | Argentina | $1,333,000 | 0.004% |
| 101. | Nepal | $1,236,000 | 0.004% |
| 102. | Haiti | $1,205,000 | 0.004% |
| 103. | Morocco | $936,000 | 0.003% |
| 104. | Liberia | $846,000 | 0.003% |
| 105. | Palestine | $813,000 | 0.003% |
| 106. | Cyprus | $707,000 | 0.002% |
| 107. | Zambia | $572,000 | 0.002% |
| 108. | Bangladesh | $407,000 | 0.001% |
| 109. | Malta | $406,000 | 0.001% |
| 110. | Uruguay | $286,000 | 0.001% |
| 111. | Vanuatu | $230,000 | 0.001% |
| 112. | US Minor Outlying Is. | $223,000 | 0.001% |
| 113. | Moldova | $210,000 | 0.001% |
| 114. | Senegal | $188,000 | 0.001% |
| 115. | Eswatini | $173,000 | 0.001% |
| 116. | Georgia | $130,000 | 0.0004% |
| 117. | Philippines | $129,000 | 0.0004% |
| 118. | Bahrain | $128,000 | 0.0004% |
| 119. | Cambodia | $118,000 | 0.0004% |
| 120. | Anguilla | $110,000 | 0.0004% |
| 121. | Burkina Faso | $110,000 | 0.0004% |
| 122. | Algeria | $104,000 | 0.0003% |
| 123. | Dominica | $95,000 | 0.0003% |
| 124. | Chad | $90,000 | 0.0003% |
| 125. | Pitcairn | $89,000 | 0.0003% |
| 126. | Mauritius | $86,000 | 0.0003% |
| 127. | Qatar | $85,000 | 0.0003% |
| 128. | Oman | $80,000 | 0.0003% |
| 129. | Albania | $75,000 | 0.0002% |
| 130. | Trinidad/Tobago | $75,000 | 0.0002% |
| 131. | Gabon | $72,000 | 0.0002% |
| 132. | Fiji | $70,000 | 0.0002% |
| 133. | Central African Rep. | $66,000 | 0.0002% |
| 134. | Cocos (Keeling) Is. | $60,000 | 0.0002% |
| 135. | Turkmenistan | $49,000 | 0.0002% |
| 136. | Botswana | $48,000 | 0.0002% |
| 137. | Antigua/Barbuda | $36,000 | 0.0001% |
| 138. | Ghana | $34,000 | 0.0001% |
| 139. | Guinea-Bissau | $34,000 | 0.0001% |
| 140. | Egypt | $31,000 | 0.0001% |
| 141. | Chile | $28,000 | 0.0001% |
| 142. | Kazakhstan | $27,000 | 0.0001% |
| 143. | Iceland | $25,000 | 0.0001% |
| 144. | Montenegro | $20,000 | 0.0001% |
| 145. | Benin | $20,000 | 0.0001% |
| 146. | Mozambique | $18,000 | 0.0001% |
| 147. | New Caledonia | $18,000 | 0.0001% |
| 148. | Sao Tome/Principe | $18,000 | 0.0001% |
| 149. | Tunisia | $17,000 | 0.0001% |
| 150. | Barbados | $17,000 | 0.0001% |
| 151. | Iran | $14,000 | 0.00005% |
| 152. | Saint Helena | $13,000 | 0.00004% |
| 153. | Seychelles | $11,000 | 0.00004% |
| 154. | Mali | $11,000 | 0.00004% |
| 155. | Namibia | $10,000 | 0.00003% |
| 156. | St Maarten (Dutch) | $9,000 | 0.00003% |
| 157. | Paraguay | $9,000 | 0.00003% |
| 158. | Lesotho | $9,000 | 0.00003% |
| 159. | Aruba | $7,000 | 0.00002% |
| 160. | Niger | $7,000 | 0.00002% |
| 161. | Brunei Darussalam | $6,000 | 0.00002% |
| 162. | Madagascar | $5,000 | 0.00002% |
| 163. | Kyrgyzstan | $5,000 | 0.00002% |
| 164. | Somalia | $5,000 | 0.00002% |
| 165. | Saint Lucia | $4,000 | 0.00001% |
| 166. | Andorra | $4,000 | 0.00001% |
| 167. | Belize | $3,000 | 0.00001% |
| 168. | Mongolia | $3,000 | 0.00001% |
| 169. | Samoa | $3,000 | 0.00001% |
| 170. | French Polynesia | $2,000 | 0.00001% |
| 171. | Equatorial Guinea | $2,000 | 0.00001% |
| 172. | Falkland Is. (Malvinas) | $1,000 | 0.000003% |
| 173. | Bermuda | $1,000 | 0.000003% |
| 174. | Curaçao | $1,000 | 0.000003% |
| 175. | Marshall Islands | $1,000 | 0.000003% |
| 176. | Pakistan | $1,000 | 0.000003% |
| 177. | North Korea | $1,000 | 0.000003% |
| 178. | Guyana | $1,000 | 0.000003% |
See also Coffee Imports by Country, Tea Exports by Country and Top Soft Drinks Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 25, 2019
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on April 15, 2019
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Exports – Commodities, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on April 15, 2019
Wikipedia, List of coffee companies. Accessed on May 18, 2018
EXPORTS SMARTS QUIZ: