# Coffee

Roasted seed of a tropical shrub: a high-value, weather-exposed crop grown by smallholders and drunk mostly in richer countries.

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/

Softs · No. 98

- Not on a critical list
- HHI 1,418 · unconcentrated
 Softs · Foundation · Matter

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

1. World green coffee output nearly doubled, from 6.06 Mt in 1990 to 11.28 Mt in 2024.
2. Switzerland, Germany and Italy rank among top exporters by value because they roast imported beans and sell them on.
3. In real 2010 dollars, Arabica averaged $7.29/kg in 2025, about 2.6 times its 2013 level of $2.80.

##### The journey

1. 1 **Cherries**Arabica or Robusta picked from shrubs
2. 2 **Processing**Wet or dry processed to parchment
3. 3 **Green beans**Hulled and graded by size and defects
4. 4 **Export**Shipped in bags or bulk containers
5. 5 **Roasting**Roasted, ground or made instant
 Covered in [What makes something a commodityCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/what-is-a-commodity/)[From ground to marketCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/from-ground-to-market/)[Supply, demand and the cost curveCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/supply-demand-costs/)[Prices and cyclesCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/prices-and-cycles/)[How commodities tradeCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/how-commodities-trade/)[How commodities moveCommodities](https://www.materialinsights.org/learn/commodities/how-commodities-move/)and 1 more

##### Go deeper pick a tab to open it in full

## Other sections

- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/movement/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/coffee/links/index.md)