Top Coffee Growing Countries (This is What You Need to Know)

It has been estimated that half a trillion cups of coffee are drank per year, and it is not only used for coffee but the bean by way of decaffeination provides caffeine for colas, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.Top Coffee Growing Countries.

The Arabica bean makes up 70% for the coffee grown, but the Robusta is much easier to grow in the top coffee growing countries.

Here is the top ten coffee producing countries in the world, and how the coffee gets from the farms to your table.

Top Coffee Growing Countries

Guatemala Has Great Weather To Grow Coffee

10 – Guatemala coffee ranks number 10 in the world for the production of coffee beans.

With a mild subtropical climate and volcanic soil it is able to produce a coffee with an excellent flavour, and ranks second in the world for its high grade coffee.

The majority of the coffee farms are found along the coastal slopes, and in the central and southern regions at altitudes of 2500 to 6000 feet.

The coffee trees here are usually between 5 to 10 feet  in height, and will blossom from May to October to produce the coffee bean also called cherries from November to April in the different elevations.

As in many coffee producing countries the workers are paid very little, and many live in poverty which is not a good thing in todays world.

Guatemala produces about 451,424,252 pounds of coffee and exports 390,944,160 pounds last year.

Mexico Has Excellent Coffee

9 – Mexico produces around 515,881,000 pounds of coffee beans per year with 96% being the Arabica bean.

The coffee production has decreased in the past 3 years because of a fungal disease to the plants called coffee rust, where the plants lose their leaf growth, and the ability to grow actual coffee beans.

This coffee rust disease started about 6 years ago and spread through Central America and now into Mexico.

The good news is that now there are nurseries that are producing coffee rust resistant plants with help from the government, public and private support.

In the state of Veracruz 48,000 hectares have been set up with the rust resistant plants.

Chiapas also has 63 nurseries set up and another 99 more being certified to be rust resistant, and with 41,000 hectares being replanted in this Mexican state.

Other states in Mexico have also received support and training to address the rust disease.

About 35% of the coffee grown is of very high quality, and it is grown at elevations of 3000 feet, while another 43% is grown from 2000 to 3000 feet in elevations.

The coffee production is expected to be recovered by 2018 or 2019 from this rust disease.

In Mexico there are about 15 states that produce the coffee, with Chiapas producing 41% of the total, Veracruz 28%, Oaxaca 11%, followed by Puebla and the other states.

The harvesting of  the coffee beans begins in September and will end  some time in March, and with the rust disease being controlled Mexico should have very good crops in the future.

Uganda Is Growing Its Coffee Yearly Production

8 – For coffee production Uganda produces about 634,931,000 pounds of coffee beans per year, with the coffee exports for 2017 coming to a value of $554,000, in comparison to $371,000 million for 2016.

In Uganda Robusta makes up about 80% of all the coffee produced with the Arabica bean making up the other 20%.

The Robusta is indigenous to Uganda and has been part of their way of life for centuries.

A wild variety of Robusta still grows in the rain forest, and is one of the rarest examples of natural coffee trees found anywhere.

The quality of the Robusta is excellent, and can grow up to elevation of 5000 feet.

It is used in the espresso industry, and to the instant coffee trade and fill ins for other blends.

Mostly small farms grow the coffee trees that are mixed in with larger shade trees , and left to grow naturally they will often flower twice a year.

It looks like Uganda has a bright future in the coffee business.

India Sells Its Coffee Production Mainly To Europe

7 – India produces about 767,208,000 pounds of the coffee bean per year, with its main buyers being Europe, Italy, and Russia, wit around 80% of its production being exported.

There are about 900,000 acres of coffee trees in India, and about half of this consist of small farms of 10 acres or less.

The production takes place in hill country of the South Indian States of Kamataka at 71%, Kerala at 21%, and the state of Tamil Nadu.

India has always been a big tea drinking country, but now coffee consumption has increased by about 40%, with coffee shops such as Costa, Starbuck, Barista, Brewberry, and Café Coffee Day entering the business in India.

Also with the introduction of espresso, cappuccino, filtered coffee, and lattes it is becoming very popular, and today you can find coffee shops in many public places such as airports, shopping malls, train stations, and many more.

The Starbucks chain now uses 100% Indian grown coffee beans for their espresso drinks, and this is also helping out the growers.

Also the beans from South and Central America, and Africa are entering the coffee market in India, as more coffee drinkers are looking for variety to appeal to their tastes.

It seems like the coffee culture is beginning to grow in India, but tea is still drank 8 times more then coffee so it is not to be counted out.

Anyway with all the new ways to prepare coffee it looks like coffee shops are on an upward trend in there business.

Honduras Produce Mainly Arabica Beans

6 – Coffee has become a good source of income for Honduras producing 767,208,000 pounds per year.

There are 110,000 coffee growers in Honduras with 92% considered small farmers.

From November to March during the picking season over a million jobs are created with whole families working on harvesting the crop, as school vacation for children is from November to the first week of February.

The main coffee produced is from the Arabica variety, and with the Institute Honduras del  Café or IHCAFE, the coffee from Honduras has become a high quality product on the international market.

Climatic conditions are also a big factor in the coffee production as in 1998 hurricane Mitch damaged 80% of the Honduran agriculture, and also if there is a severe wet season where the fungus called coffee leaf rust can cause much damage.

On the positive side IHCAFE and other organizations are fighting  against this coffee leaf rust , so the future quality and quantity of Honduras coffee looks very bright.

Ethiopia Is Where Coffee Plants Originates From

5 – Ethiopia produces about 846,575,000 pounds of coffee per year, and is where the Arabica plant originates from.

Nearly 15 million people work in the coffee trade here, but often the farmers who do the work , do not get a fare share of the profits which goes to the middlemen and distributers.

Farm Africa helps in the quality  and quantity of coffee grown, and through new technologies and new  markets the farmers are now able to get a better price for there coffee.

In Ethiopia there is forest coffee, semi-forest coffee, garden coffee, and plantation coffee with 95% of this being organic in nature.

Forest coffee amounts for 10% of the total production and is grown in the shade of forest trees, and vwill produce high yields of excellent quality.

Semi-forest coffee is where the farmers thin the forest to let in more sunlight for the coffee trees, but with still some shade provided, plus the growers cut the weeds once a year for easier picking of the coffee beans. This system is equal to 35% of the coffee production.

Garden coffee is found mostly in the Southern and Eastern parts of Ethiopia, and is considered low density planting of 1000 to 1800 trees per hectare, and accounts for 50% of the total production.

Plantation coffee is state owned, with improved seedlings , proper pruning, spacing, and shade plus the use of herbicides and chemical fertilizers, and are only 5% of the total coffee production.

The Arabica grown in Ethiopia is situated in excellent conditions for growing, and is highly prized by the world coffee market, and can be blended with other coffees from different places to upgrade there mix.

Indonesia Has Been Among The World Coffee Top Producing Countries

4 – Indonesia is one of the worlds top coffee producing countries with 1,455,050,000 pounds produced per year.

Coffee plantations cover close to 1.24 million hectares with 933 of Robusta, and 307 hectares of Arabica.

While 90% of the plantations  are run by smaller growers with 1 or 2 hectares each, there is difficulty to have a steady production rate, and thus there is a loss in the competing abilities  on the International Market.

Coffee first arrived in Indonesia in the 17 and 18th century, brought in by the Dutch.

Here the climate conditions are nearly perfect for growing, with plantations on Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi.

The majority  of the coffee beans is the Robusta, making up 80% of the total exports.

There are plans to expand Indonesia coffee plantations and in the coming years it is expected to reach 1.2 million tons per year.

Most is exported to Japan, South Africa, Western Europe, and the United States.

In Indonesia the food and beverage company MAP Boga Adiperkasa are planning to open 60 new Starbucks for coffee sales, so this will help in the local coffee production there.

Colombia Has Hight Quality Coffee In The World

3 – Colombia is the largest producer of high quality coffee in the world , with 1,785,744,000 pounds per year.

The country has excellent growing conditions with over 536,000 small coffee farms.

Through the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation the coffee farmers have agreed to quality control standards of which are carefully followed.

Being close to the equator and with an abundant amount of sunlight coffee can be grown at elevations of 6500 feet to give you that true mountain coffee.

With the exceptional climate coffee in Colombia can be harvested every month of the year.

From a variety of Arabica plants that are selected  and planted on the coffee farms the growers receive help from scientific research -Cenicafe- and are able to grow very good crops of coffee.

At the time of picking the producers only pick the coffee cherries that are ripe, knowing that mixing with beans that are not mature as yet can cause problems in the quality of there coffee.

At the post harvest time  the farmers also discard any defective beans, and the bean mucilage is removed and then washed according to a set of standards and dried in sunlight or with specialized equipment.

The coffee millers also sort the beans for size and density, giving only the best for roasting coffee.

Also before export it is again sampled and checked for quality before hitting the international Markets.

With the quality commitments in place  for Columbian coffee, you can be sure you are getting the best.

Also with the Juan Valdez seal of quality the brand of coffee can compete on the World Market as being one of the best for consumers, and is considered 100% Colombian coffee.

So next time you are shopping for one of the best coffees, look for the brand symbol Juan Valdez in your stores.

Vietnam Is Changing To Grow More Arabica Than Robusta Coffee

2 – Vietnam has moved into second place as the worlds largest coffee producer with 3,637,627,000 pounds per year.

Coffee arrived in Vietnam around 1857, brought into the country by the French.

The quality of the beans has limited the marketing , as 97% is the Robusta coffee beans, but now they are expanding the growing for the more valuable Arabica coffee.

The coffee industry here employs about 2.6 million people on half a million small farms of two or three acres each.

Some companies such as Nestles have set up processing plants in Vietnam where they roast and pack the beans, but most are exported out of the country to be processed elsewhere in the world.

Coffee production does have a bit of a down side in Vietnam, since 1973 40,000 square miles of forest has been cleared for new coffee farms and that land is being exhausted , as too much water and fertilizers are being used.

With Vietnam increasing the world supply of Robusta coffee the market price has fallen , and could make coffee growing for some countries much more difficult. Even Vietnams export prices have dropped by 57% in the last two years.

It would seem that Vietnams quantity over quality coffee, has its effects on the world market.

Brazil Is Still The Largest Producer Of Coffee

1 – Brazil is the largest producer of coffee in the world, with 5,714,381,000 pounds per year produced or more, and has led the world for 150 years in the coffee business.

The majority of the coffee farms are located in Brazils southeastern states of Minas, Gerais, Sao Paulo, and Parana where the climate is suitable for coffee production.

The Brazilians mostly dry the coffee cherries in the sun instead of washing them, and there are about 10,000 square miles of coffee farms, with around 300,000 farms involved in the coffee.

Arabica produced in Brazil accounts for about 80% of its coffee with the other 20% being Robusta.

In the drying process Brazil has invested money into there drying system to prevent any possible fermentation of the beans when drying.

Brazilian beans have become very popular for coffee drinkers, and also in espresso blends where 90% of the coffee will be from Brazil.

Large companies market and sell Brazilian coffee blends, and these can be found in many store coffee isles.

The majority of coffee is grown at lower altitudes in Brazil then Central America or Columbia and is often not classed as a gourmet coffee.

It has a smooth mild taste which is still enjoyed by many around the world, and often used in stronger coffee to mellow them out.

So next time you are out shopping for coffee check the label to try a taste of Brazilian coffee.

Top Coffee Growing Countries

All the coffee producing countries are found around the equatorial regions of the planet.

There are about 50 to 55 different countries in the coffee business, and in the above article are the top ten mentioned.

A surprise is that Australia even produces Arabica coffee, at about 200 to 600 tons per year, which is so low an amount that they are not even listed in the international Coffee Organizations statistics.

I hope this article has given you some ideas, and the work involved in bringing that cup of coffee to you.

Any comments always appreciated,

Wayne.