9 Best Coffee Producing Countries in the World

COFFEE is the second most traded commodity in the world after oil. Coffee-producing countries are known as tropical regions. Indonesia is one of the best coffee producers in the world.

In your opinion, which countries are the best coffee producers in the world?

1. Brazil

Brazil occupies the top spot at number one, producing 2.68 million metric tons of coffee per year. As a country, coffee has topped the world's leading coffee producer for 150 years!

Unsurprisingly, given the amount of coffee Brazil produces, the climate is perfect for growing Arabica and Robusta beans. Brazil boasts the right levels of sunshine and precipitation, low elevations and even temperatures throughout the year.

Brazilian coffee is known for its soft body, low acidity and rich bittersweet chocolate and caramel flavors, making it the perfect base for making coffees with great flavors.

2. Vietnam

In Asia, Vietnam has more than doubled to number two, with more than 1.5 million tonnes. It is the second most exported commodity after rice. Coffee was introduced to Vietnam by former French colonists in the 1800s to the Buôn Ma Thuột region, where it is still grown today.

Vietnam is one of the world's most competitive robusta producers after reforms in 1986 allowed the private companies that led to a boom in the industry's growth to turn it into the world's second-highest coffee-producing country.

Vietnam accounts for 40% of the world's total Robusta coffee bean production, which is known for its low acidity and bitterness, making it perfect for instant coffee and as a constituent of blended coffees.

3. Colombia

With the perfect terrain and climate, Colombia is one of the few countries that produces 100% Arabica beans. Colombian and coffee is a very well known combination that is appreciated for its aromatic, light and fruity taste.

Café de Colombia is a non-profit organization, representing the coffee trade and touching every family in Colombia. It reinvests their profits for the benefit of the coffee farming community.

The coffee beans are usually grown at an altitude of 1500-2000 meters, which produces a medium-bodied variety of coffee with a rich nutty aroma and a slight citrus acidity, giving it a mild taste and subtle sweetness.

4. Indonesia

Back to Asia and Indonesia jump ahead significantly at number four. A fairly large novelty for a country consisting of thousands of islands, the coffee available from this part of the world is very diverse.

Coffee cultivation began in the late 1600s during the Dutch colonial period. The island of Java was the first place where coffee was cultivated in Indonesia. Javanese coffee is renowned for its ripe, earthy woody taste with a rich, full and sweet sour taste.

Indonesian coffee is pretty much in the top 10 coffees, Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi are in the top. This is a truely brewed coffee, with earthy undertones, a complex smoky and spicy flavour, with a full body and rich aroma.

5. Honduras

Stifled by poor infrastructure in the past, most Honduran coffee is sold domestically with only 10% of their crop being exported. But in recent years their coffee is increasingly sought after.

Most Honduran coffee is grown on small mountain farms known as 'Fincas' at elevations between 1400-1700 meters. Many of these 'Fincas' have their own microclimate, which provides a wide variety of taste and aroma profiles from hazelnut, to vanilla with hints of red fruit.

6. Ethiopia

Ethiopia peaked at number six which is not surprising as it holds a special place in Ethiopian culture as the birthplace of coffee. The Ethiopian coffee industry is nationalized and accounts for 10% of the country's GDP!

Ethiopia offers thousands of varieties each with its own characteristics, with different flavors, and unlike most countries, the best coffee is purely for local consumption and will never leave the country!

7. Peru

Jumping to Peru, coffee is grown in 10 specific regions in the north, center and south of the country. This is certainly not a new crop grown across the country since the 1700s. Coffee is often neglected altogether due to the country's poor business infrastructure, meaning most of the coffee produced is consumed domestically.

This has changed in recent decades with farmers having the opportunity to export and hit the world market with their products. Many find this coffee rivaling some of the best coffees from around the world.

Peruvian coffees grown in the lowlands tend to be medium stature with floral and nutty fruity notes, those grown in the highlands, particularly in the Andes are floral, rich and sour and just waiting to be discovered.

8. India

India was heavily affected by coffee rust in the 1870s and replaced many of their coffee plantations with tea plantations. India is often thought of as a tea producing country but the truth is that coffee has been around since the 1600s during the reign of the Mughal empire, tea didn't arrive until the 1800s!

Traditionally known as Arabica coffee, since the turn of the century, the majority of their current crop is robusta which accounts for 60% of their total production. Coffee is grown mostly in the southern Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Most of India's coffee production is exported to Europe, where it is often used to make blended coffees. Coffee was brought back to the coast of India by a man named Baba Budan, who smuggled some coffee beans from the Middle East to India, growing them in Karnataka.

9. Guatemala

Coffee was not considered a crop until the late 1850s following the collapse of the country's dye industry following the introduction of chemical dyes into the European textile industry. In 1880 coffee accounted for 90% of Guatemala's exports and is still the largest today.

The resulting crop has a well-deserved reputation for quality. Almost exclusively Arabica, the main varieties include Caturra, Red and Yellow Catuai and Red and Yellow Bourbon.

Guatemalan coffee beans thrive in areas with rich volcanic soil, low humidity, plenty of sun, and cool nights, including areas of Antigua, Acatenango, Atitlán, Cobán, Huehuetenango, Faijanes, San Marcos & Nuevo Orientea.