Brazil is the world's largest producer and second largest consumer of coffee

On Friday, April 14th, "World Coffee Day" was celebrated and Brazil, the largest coffee producer and exporter in the world, began preparations for harvesting production. With an area destined for coffee cultivation (arabica and conilon) totaling 2,26 million hectares in 2023, Brazilian coffee production could reach 54,94 million bags of the processed grain, according to Conab. 

Coffee is the second most consumed drink in the world, behind only water. According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), the world produced, between October 2021 and September 2022, 170,83 million 60-kilo bags and consumed 164,9 million bags. 

Brazil is the second largest coffee consumer in the world, behind only the United States.

The world's largest producer of the grain, Brazil exported around 2,2 million tons, equivalent to 39,4 million bags of coffee, in 2022, with shipments to 145 countries, with highlights being destinations in the United States and Germany, followed by by Italy, Belgium and Japan. 

The high price of coffee abroad allowed exports of the product (green, soluble coffee and extracts) to reach US$9,2 billion last year. 

This culture has a strong social appeal, given the large concentration of production on family properties where the crops are grown. According to the director of Marketing and Supply at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Silvio Farnese, the crop represents an important income for families, with a large use of labor not only in production but throughout the industrial and commercial process. 

“This day represents a tribute to all the people involved in the production of this most beloved drink in the world, whether in Rio, dripping or cappuccino, espresso, in mixes, being offered hot, cold or even iced. It is a highlight in world gastronomy”, says Farnese.  

Coffee is also celebrated on other dates such as International Coffee Day, on October 1st, the date chosen in 2015 for an international celebration by the ICO. In Brazil, National Coffee Day is celebrated on May 24th. 

“There are many dates and many celebrations, as this is the most consumed drink in the world after water and it is so pleasurable, that it is worth celebrating on these dates. The International Coffee Organization wishes everyone an excellent World Coffee Day”, highlights Vanúsia Nogueira, executive director of the International Coffee Organization (ICO).

Coffee cycle in Brazil

Coffee has been present in the history of Brazil since the 19th century, during the Empire. After the economic cycles of Brazilwood, sugar cane and gold, the coffee cycle, which lasted until the 20th century, represented the country's greatest source of wealth and main export product.

Coffee arrived in Brazil in 1727, entering through Pará and cultivated in the city of Belém. In the following years, it was taken to Maranhão and Rio de Janeiro, where it was cultivated for domestic consumption. Taken to the lands of Serra do Mar, he arrived in the Paraíba Valley around 1820, where he found the “terra preta”, rich soil for coffee plantations. From São Paulo he went to Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and Paraná.

According to professor and historian Diogo Dionizio, the coffee cycle was very important for the development of the Southeast region, as until then the North and Northeast were the most important regions in Brazil. “The coffee cycle emerged in the context of Empire Brazil, so from the 19th century onwards we began to have this cycle and coffee was a very important product mainly for the regions of São Paulo and Paraná”, he explains. 

At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, coffee barons began to have a great influence on national politics, especially in the “coffee with milk” policy, which divided power in Brazil. “One year we will have coffee farmers from São Paulo with power in Brazil and with central power in the presidency, and the next year we will have producers from Minas Gerais, who are the major milk producers”, he says. 

Coffee became a well-marketed drink around the world and Brazil became one of the main coffee exporters in the world until the crisis of 1929, when the grain stopped being one of the main export products and Brazil lost this “sovereignty”. ” in the sector.

The historian also remembers that coffee was part of the flag of the Brazilian Empire and is currently part of the Coat of Arms of the Republic. “During the Empire period, the flag will feature coffee branches, showing how this crop became such an important plant for the Brazilian economy, and to this day coffee is one of the main Brazilian export products. To this day, coffee drives the global economy and also the Brazilian economy”, says Dionizio, currently a History teacher trainer in the Pedagogical Division of the Regional Directorate of Education of Guaianases, in the East Zone of São Paulo.

Specialty coffees in Brazil

Brazil's position as the world's largest producer and exporter increasingly brings a quality drink from coffee farms to Brazilian consumers, our largest market and to those in the 145 importing countries. 

“Today, Brazil is already the world's largest supplier of coffees from 80 points, produced with social and environmental responsibility and also a respectable consumer of high quality coffees”, explains Vanúsia Nogueira. 

It is estimated that around 5% to 10% of Brazilian coffee consumption is already specialty coffee, whether sold in coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, on internet channels and in supermarkets. 

It was rapid growth, which came with curiosity in discovering different flavors and different experiences. In absolute numbers, it is already a larger volume than many countries and tends to evolve more and more, with the engagement of more producers and the knowledge and appreciation of customers.

“Coffee is no longer just something essential for alertness, for training energy, but it is also the indulgence, the pleasure that we all deserve”, assures Vanúsia.