Coffee
Roasted seed of a tropical shrub: a high-value, weather-exposed crop grown by smallholders and drunk mostly in richer countries.
Softs · No. 98
- Not on a critical list
- HHI 1,418 · unconcentrated
A single frost in Brazil can lift the price of your morning cup, because one country grows almost a third.
Chart: Illustration: Coffee
Where it comes from
Chart: Map of where it comes from
Arabica grows in cool highlands and is prized for flavour; Robusta tolerates hot lowlands. Frost or drought can hurt trees for more than one season. Output was 11.28 Mt in 2024.
Three things to know
- World green coffee output nearly doubled, from 6.06 Mt in 1990 to 11.28 Mt in 2024.
- Switzerland, Germany and Italy rank among top exporters by value because they roast imported beans and sell them on.
- In real 2010 dollars, Arabica averaged $7.29/kg in 2025, about 2.6 times its 2013 level of $2.80.
The journey
- 1 CherriesArabica or Robusta picked from shrubs
- 2 ProcessingWet or dry processed to parchment
- 3 Green beansHulled and graded by size and defects
- 4 ExportShipped in bags or bulk containers
- 5 RoastingRoasted, ground or made instant