Today, we’re gonna be looking at the top coffee producers in the world. What countries grow the most coffee?
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#1: Brazil
South America, in general, is big into coffee. Brazil, however, has the best geography for it.
Not to mention, Brazil is a really big country. It’s the fifth biggest country in the world, right after China and The United States.
With so much land available and the right climate, Brazil established coffee farms very early – around the 18th century. And by the 20th century, Brazil was already the biggest producer of coffee in the world.
So much coffee money came in that big coffee companies actually influenced politics.
It may be comparable to big tech companies in the US today – these coffee companies were absolutely huge as the industry was the biggest in the country.
At one point, coffee represented most of the money in the Brazilian economy.
This came under control eventually and today Brazil isn’t solely dependent on coffee as it once was.
Still, they produce about 2,500,000 metric tons of coffee yearly and growing every year, which is almost half of all coffee grown in the world.
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#2: Vietnam
All the way to the other side of the globe, in almost a straight line, is Vietnam.
Coffee was introduced to this country late in the game by the French, and it ended up becoming the bread and butter of many farmers.
With a large agricultural population, Vietnamese farmers quickly adapted to this new crop and began farming with such skill that Vietnamese coffee rose through the ranks very quickly, becoming the second largest producer in the world.
Vietnam has a rich coffee culture, with unique drinks such as egg coffee (a must-try!) and even their own brewing method: the Vietnamese coffee press, which takes inspiration from the French press to create a very concentrated coffee that resembles espresso.
#3: Colombia
Colombian coffee was for the longest time the favorite of the world.
It in fact remains the favorite origin in the US, as Americans seem to never have enough Colombian coffee and are the biggest consumers in the world.
This country was primed to become the second largest producer, but climate changes have hindered production greatly – since 1980 the country has seen slowly rising temperatures.
Coffee, being such a delicate crop, was the first to suffer.
Even today Colombia still hasn’t recovered and faces serious challenges.
In spite of all this, they are still the third largest producer in the world and enjoy a fame and renown for their coffee that no other coffee does.
#4: Indonesia
Indonesian coffee is a product of the Dutch, which arrived in these islands with one thing in sight: money.
At the time, coffee was the “black gold” of Europe, and with so much land unused in Indonesia, they incentivized the natives to start coffee farms.
Unlike other countries like in South and Central America, Indonesian coffee farms were not driven by slave labor, rather by personal interest. Coffee was better paid than other crops, which proved a good investment for farmers.
Indonesia then has no real coffee estates or companies, but actually a big number of independent farmers that cultivate this crop in small farms. Some farms are as small as a backyard.
And yet, Indonesian coffee is one of the most sought-after in the world.
Kopi Luwak
Kopi Luwak, one of the most expensive coffees in the world, is Indonesian.
It is the famous “civet poop” coffee, where the civet (an autochthonous animal of Indonesia) eats the fresh coffee cherries, and then the beans are collected from its droppings: the result is a delicious coffee that goes for hundreds of dollars per pound.
#5: Ethiopia
Last but not least, Ethiopia.
This is where it all started, where coffee first originated. In fact, there are estimated to be hundreds of yet-undiscovered coffee varieties growing in the wilderness of Ethiopia, a fact that ignites many coffee lovers’ imaginations.
Ethiopia has a very diverse coffee industry, with almost 15 million people working in the coffee industry.
Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony
This country is also home to the coffee ceremony, which is held in one household where the woman hosting personally harvests, roasts and grinds the coffee – she then brews it and serves it to all her guests.
The guests then take turns complimenting different aspects of the coffee.
Photos by TeaCoffee99 and Dominika Roseclay
