The Biggest Coffee Players in the World

Do you love reading about which country ranks top in the world when it comes to coffee? Do you feel a sense of pride when you see your country mentioned in one of these lists? 

In this blog post, we’re taking a brief look at the biggest coffee players in the world - importers, exporters, producers, and consumers.

These regions contribute so much value to the global coffee market, making it possible for coffee lovers to enjoy coffee sourced from different parts of the world.

Coffee Importers

Regardless of whether these countries grow their own coffee or not, they are the ones who buy the most coffee from other regions, serving as opportunities for coffee farmers and co-ops to sell their produce. 

Having imported $8.2 billion worth of coffee in the year 2023, the United States is the world’s largest coffee importer. They import most of their coffee from Colombia and Brazil. Reports state that as much as 146 billion cups of coffee are consumed annually in the US.

Next on this list is Germany. Their imports amounted to $4.12 billion in the same year. Germany is known for hosting a range of coffee trade fairs that bring coffee businesses and consumers together. 

Being the third largest coffee importer, France’s imports were calculated to be worth $3.3 billion. France has a high per capita consumption and brings in coffee from Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia. 

Coffee Exporters

Some of the biggest coffee exporters are countries where the volume of coffee grown is significant. In addition to maintaining sufficient crops for domestic consumption, they are able to contribute to the national economy by selling coffee to other nations.

Till the last couple of years, Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia topped the list as the biggest coffee exporters in the world. But in 2023, Switzerland and Germany ranked second and third, respectively. Brazil’s exports were valued at $7.3 billion, Switzerland’s at $3.6 billion, and Germany’s at $3.4 billion.

Responsible for over 35% of global coffee exports, Brazil trades coffee with the US, Germany, and Italy. Although they grow both arabica and robusta, a considerable percentage of their exports are arabica beans. 

Coffee Consumers

In deciding which countries consume the most coffee, the volume of coffee bags consumed is divided by the population of that region to get a per capita figure. 

That’s why even though the population of the following countries may not be anywhere close to places like the US or Brazil (where the volume of coffee consumed is greater), they have a higher per capita coffee consumption and so rank at the top of this list. 

The 3 countries are Finland, Norway, and Iceland. 

Finland has been consistently ranked as the world’s largest coffee consumer. The locals are said to drink 12 kg worth of coffee per person in a year. Whereas, in Norway, it is 9.9 kg per capita and in Iceland 9 kg per capita. 

It is not uncommon for people in these regions to be drinking multiple cups of coffee a day, especially in the case of Finns who enjoy around 4 cups a day.

Coffee Producers

These coffee-producing countries are the source of all the coffee that the world enjoys. Not only is their coffee said to be of high quality and therefore high demand, but in a way, these nations keep the coffee industry afloat. 

Anytime there’s a calamity that destroys harvests, the entire global coffee supply chain goes for a toss because of just how influential these coffee producers are.

The 3 biggest coffee producers in the world are Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia.

Brazil’s coffee production alone accounts for nearly 40% of the global coffee produced. They produce 66.3 million 60 kg bags. 

With the instant coffee market relying heavily on robusta beans, Vietnam’s production of robusta is crucial. They produce about 27.5 million 60 kg bags. As for Colombia, that number is 12.7 million 60 kg bags. 

Were any of these facts and figures surprising to you?