Year over year, the value of globally exported coffee gained 5.8% from 2019 to 2020.
The 5 biggest coffee shippers (Brazil, Switzerland, Germany, Colombia, Vietnam) account for almost half (48.8%) of all exported coffee in the latest annual reporting period.
From a continental perspective, Europe sold the highest dollar value worth of exported coffee on international markets in 2020 with total shipments valued at $12.6 billion or 40.1% of the overall value. Close behind in second place at 34.9% was Latin America excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, ahead of coffee suppliers in Asia at 13%.
Smaller percentages were generated by providers in Africa (6.4%), North America (5.2%), and Oceania (0.5%) led by Papua New Guinea then 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 2020.
- Brazil: US$5 billion (15.9% of total coffee exports)
- Switzerland: $2.9 billion (9.1%)
- Germany: $2.6 billion (8.2%)
- Colombia: $2.5 billion (8%)
- Vietnam: $2.3 billion (7.5%)
- Italy: $1.7 billion (5.4%)
- France: $1.5 billion (4.8%)
- Honduras: $1.1 billion (3.5%)
- Belgium: $904.8 million (2.9%)
- Indonesia: $821.9 million (2.6%)
- Netherlands: $810.7 million (2.6%)
- Ethiopia: $795.8 million (2.5%)
- United States: $785.6 million (2.5%)
- Guatemala: $653.3 million (2.1%)
- Peru: $640.7 million (2%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 79.8% of global coffee exports in 2020.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing coffee exporters from 2019 to 2020 were: France (up 22.5%), Honduras (up 16.4%), Switzerland (up 13.9%) and Brazil (up 9.7%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported coffee sales were: Indonesia (down -6.9%), United States (down -4.5%), Italy (down -2.6%) and Guatemala (down -1.6%).
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for coffee during 2020. 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$4.9 billion (net export surplus up 2.7% since 2019)
- Colombia: $2.4 billion (down -1%)
- Vietnam: $2.3 billion (down -22.8%)
- Switzerland: $2 billion (up 48.5%)
- Honduras: $1.1 billion (up 29.5%)
- Ethiopia: $795.5 million (up 9.7%)
- Indonesia: $783.7 million (down -18.4%)
- Guatemala: $651.8 million (up 0.2%)
- Peru: $637.5 million (down -15.6%)
- Uganda: $501 million (up 38.2%)
- Nicaragua: $496.4 million (up 23.4%)
- India: $356.9 million (down -18.3%)
- Costa Rica: $306.6 million (up 4.3%)
- Mexico: $299.3 million (up 88.9%)
- Kenya: $253 million (up 20.2%)
Brazil generates 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 2020. 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 up 1.6% since 2019)
- France: -$1.4 billion (down -15.3%)
- Japan: -$1.1 billion (down -17.7%)
- Germany: -$954.6 million (down -27.8%)
- South Korea: -$733.9 million (up 31.2%)
- Canada: -$728.2 million (up 14.1%)
- Spain: -$722.8 million (down -0.6%)
- United Kingdom: -$656.3 million (down -1.8%)
- Russia: -$601.3 million (up 22.7%)
- Australia: -$451 million (up 6.4%)
- Netherlands: -$380.2 million (down -15.8%)
- Austria: -$329.8 million (down -1.1%)
- Poland: -$290.6 million (up 316.9%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$278.7 million (up 78.8%)
- Sweden: -$275.7 million (down -16%)
The United States of America posted the biggest deficit in the international trade of coffee. In turn, this negative cashflow confirms America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for coffee-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful consumer demand.
Companies
Coffee Exporting Companies
According to the Tropical Commodity Coalition (TCC), green coffee beans are a minimally processed product accounting for approximately 95% of coffee exports. Ironically, coffee-producing countries earn comparatively little from the sale and export of their products. That is because a large share of coffee profits go to supply chain middlemen and large roaster conglomerates.
International coffee trading companies operating in producer countries via joint ventures with local middlemen. The following are examples of coffee-trading companies located in the country shown within parentheses:
- Barbera Coffee Company (Italy)
- Coffee Cabana Brazil (Brazil)
- Maxwell House (United States)
- Miko Coffee (Belgium)
- Nestlé (Switzerland)
- Neumann Gruppe AG (Germany)
- O’Coffee – Brazilian Estates (Brazil)
- Ospina Coffee Company (Colombia)
- Simexco Daklak Ltd (Vietnam)
- Starbucks Corporation (United States)
Searchable List of Coffee Exporting Countries in 2020
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. The right-most column highlights the percentage change in the value of globally exported coffee from 2019 to 2020.
| Rank | Exporter | Exported Coffee (US$) | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Brazil | $4,996,305,000 | +9.7% |
| 2. | Switzerland | $2,856,689,000 | +13.9% |
| 3. | Germany | $2,582,480,000 | +8.6% |
| 4. | Colombia | $2,522,878,000 | +6.8% |
| 5. | Vietnam | $2,344,146,000 | +5.6% |
| 6. | Italy | $1,699,088,000 | -2.6% |
| 7. | France | $1,513,104,000 | +22.5% |
| 8. | Honduras | $1,112,708,000 | +16.4% |
| 9. | Belgium | $904,847,000 | +8.1% |
| 10. | Indonesia | $821,937,000 | -6.9% |
| 11. | Netherlands | $810,650,000 | +3.9% |
| 12. | Ethiopia | $795,756,000 | +0% |
| 13. | United States | $785,555,000 | -4.5% |
| 14. | Guatemala | $653,307,000 | -1.6% |
| 15. | Peru | $640,727,000 | +3.1% |
| 16. | Uganda | $515,534,000 | +17.6% |
| 17. | Nicaragua | $496,551,000 | +7.9% |
| 18. | Canada | $477,931,000 | -4.6% |
| 19. | India | $464,604,000 | -7.6% |
| 20. | Mexico | $364,700,000 | +15.3% |
| 21. | Poland | $357,939,000 | +10.4% |
| 22. | United Kingdom | $345,118,000 | -2.6% |
| 23. | Costa Rica | $328,998,000 | +17.7% |
| 24. | Spain | $290,763,000 | +12.9% |
| 25. | Kenya | $255,516,000 | +24.7% |
| 26. | Czech Republic | $166,617,000 | -3.3% |
| 27. | Tanzania | $144,485,000 | -11.8% |
| 28. | Slovakia | $140,845,000 | -15.7% |
| 29. | Sweden | $137,729,000 | +3.7% |
| 30. | China | $137,574,000 | -10% |
| 31. | Papua New Guinea | $128,403,000 | -16.4% |
| 32. | El Salvador | $108,178,000 | -3.3% |
| 33. | Portugal | $98,627,000 | +6.3% |
| 34. | Bulgaria | $91,958,000 | +8.5% |
| 35. | Austria | $85,276,000 | -16.6% |
| 36. | Rwanda | $67,706,000 | -9.3% |
| 37. | Lithuania | $63,505,000 | +2.4% |
| 38. | Laos | $60,259,000 | -6.3% |
| 39. | Ivory Coast | $57,393,000 | -64.6% |
| 40. | Denmark | $57,346,000 | +19.9% |
| 41. | Russia | $50,418,000 | +32.7% |
| 42. | Luxembourg | $47,869,000 | -4.1% |
| 43. | Burundi | $41,822,000 | +10.5% |
| 44. | Slovenia | $38,738,000 | -7% |
| 45. | Finland | $38,019,000 | +5.3% |
| 46. | Singapore | $36,300,000 | -13.9% |
| 47. | Latvia | $35,481,000 | +2.5% |
| 48. | Hungary | $35,121,000 | -31.4% |
| 49. | Malaysia | $34,760,000 | +31.2% |
| 50. | Japan | $32,415,000 | +21.1% |
| 51. | Cameroon | $31,137,000 | -14.5% |
| 52. | Turkey | $30,342,000 | +52.6% |
| 53. | Ireland | $27,246,000 | -3.8% |
| 54. | Panama | $25,901,000 | -0.4% |
| 55. | Australia | $22,636,000 | -12.5% |
| 56. | Jamaica | $21,535,000 | +43.1% |
| 57. | Greece | $21,251,000 | +2.8% |
| 58. | Yemen | $20,402,000 | +0.7% |
| 59. | Croatia | $19,941,000 | +11% |
| 60. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $17,047,000 | +19.2% |
| 61. | South Africa | $15,805,000 | -21.2% |
| 62. | Taiwan | $13,158,000 | +63.2% |
| 63. | Timor-Leste | $12,962,000 | -35.5% |
| 64. | Romania | $12,484,000 | -7.1% |
| 65. | Ecuador | $11,796,000 | +27.6% |
| 66. | Lebanon | $10,038,000 | -55.7% |
| 67. | Congo | $9,978,000 | +997,700% |
| 68. | Serbia | $9,922,000 | +28.5% |
| 69. | Bolivia | $8,686,000 | +1.2% |
| 70. | Jordan | $8,526,000 | -13.6% |
| 71. | Guinea | $7,801,000 | +7.3% |
| 72. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $7,600,000 | +31.7% |
| 73. | Estonia | $6,786,000 | -3.1% |
| 74. | Dominican Republic | $6,752,000 | -40.6% |
| 75. | Cuba | $6,736,000 | -7% |
| 76. | Zambia | $6,701,000 | +100.7% |
| 77. | Norway | $6,119,000 | +19% |
| 78. | Cyprus | $5,870,000 | -22.3% |
| 79. | Togo | $5,687,000 | -35.1% |
| 80. | Sierra Leone | $5,659,000 | +33.7% |
| 81. | Hong Kong | $5,287,000 | -37.3% |
| 82. | Syrian Arab Republic | $5,120,000 | +8% |
| 83. | Armenia | $5,048,000 | +19.6% |
| 84. | Djibouti | $4,744,000 | -14.8% |
| 85. | United Arab Emirates | $4,648,000 | -87.6% |
| 86. | South Korea | $3,926,000 | -2.9% |
| 87. | Madagascar | $3,921,000 | +1,358% |
| 88. | New Zealand | $3,610,000 | +27.8% |
| 89. | Morocco | $3,158,000 | +53.1% |
| 90. | Thailand | $3,009,000 | -25.5% |
| 91. | Malawi | $2,915,000 | +7.5% |
| 92. | Saudi Arabia | $2,700,000 | +16.6% |
| 93. | Venezuela | $2,693,000 | -18.8% |
| 94. | Israel | $2,519,000 | -51.5% |
| 95. | Belarus | $2,502,000 | -15.6% |
| 96. | Myanmar | $2,437,000 | -9.9% |
| 97. | Angola | $2,265,000 | +10.2% |
| 98. | Kuwait | $2,189,000 | +527.2% |
| 99. | North Macedonia | $1,957,000 | -4.2% |
| 100. | Ukraine | $1,805,000 | +15.8% |
See also Coffee Imports by Country, Tea Exports by Country and Top Soft Drinks Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on May 29, 2021
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 29, 2021
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 29, 2021
Wikipedia, List of coffee companies. Accessed on May 29, 2021
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