Brazil exported 50.4 million bags of coffee in 2024, a record-setting amount driven by substantial gains across nearly every category, reports Brazilian agricultural news portal Estadão Agro.
The country closed out the year with total coffee exports of 3.808 million 60-kg bags in December, an 8.1-percent increase over the same month in 2023, according to figures from the Coffee Exporters Council of Brazil (Cecafé). The increase in volume generated a 42.2-percent increase in foreign exchange revenue over December 2023, for a total of US$1.145 billion.
The strong showing at the end of 2024 helped the South American giant close the year with 50.443 million bags worth US$12.515 billion exported to 116 countries, a 28.5-percent increase in volume and a 55.4-percent increase in revenue over 2023, marking the best performance since records began.
Marcos Matos, general director of Cecafé, told a press conference that 2024 was “a year in which we exported sustainability, quality, credibility and diversity,” noting that these records were achieved despite Brazilian coffee exporters facing considerable logistical challenges as infrastructure fails to keep pace with growth.
Every segment of Brazilian coffee exports saw significant growth in 2024 save roasted or roasted and ground coffee. At 48,687 bags shipped, this category accounted for just 0.1 percent of Brazilian coffee exports and dropped 5 percent compared to 2023.
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Soluble coffee (8.1 percent) increased 13 percent to 4.093 million bags – the second-highest total for the sector – while conilon and robusta coffees (18.5 percent) jumped a staggering 97.9 percent to 9.356 million bags.
Arabica coffee (73.2 percent) continues to lead Brazilian coffee exports with 36.946 million bags exported in 2024, up 19.8 percent over the previous year.
The US (16.1 percent of total exports) was the primary destination for Brazilian coffee, purchasing 8.131 million bags between January and December 2024, up 34 percent over the previous year. Germany (15 percent) came in a close second, increasing its purchases 51.3 percent to 7.590 million bags, while Belgium (8.6 percent) went up 96.4 percent to 4.348 million bags.
Cecafé President Márcio Ferreira said at the press conference that while the sector expects a good growth season in 2025, limited infrastructure is creating costly logistical challenges, with exporters paying nearly US$1.97 million in extra fees in 2024 for additional storage, pre-stacking and early gate access.
Presently, around 1.6 million bags of coffee are stuck at Brazilian ports due to significant delays in shipping and schedule changes for 200 vessels. “All of this is very detrimental to Brazilian agriculture, as the margins are very tight,” Matos told the press.
