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Which is great news for Latin America—the region is responsible for more coffee production than the rest of the world combined.

Treemap chart comparing coffee production by country and region, where Latin America produces over half the world's coffee, led by Brazil.
Latin America produces over half the world's coffee

Led by agro-giant Brazil, from which just shy of a third of all coffee beans come, Latin America’s coffee producers have dominated the global market since the era of Iberian colonization.

In fact, in the case of Brazil entire political eras have been named after the nearly hegemonic role played by the coffee industry, especially in states like Minas Gerais and São Paulo.

Colombia has an equally coffee-linked history, although in recent years its position among producers has declined. This is despite world-renowned coffee brand recognition through mascots like Juan Valdez crafting a positive image of the country’s high-quality beans.

Actually, while Colombia and historical rivals like Honduras and Peru have seen stagnation in recent decades, they have been recently joined by far-off competitors. Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, and Uganda have all emerged as major players in the coffee industry, particularly since the turn of the century. These players have ushered in new eras for their respective continents of Africa and Asia (Europe, North America, and Oceania have little to no coffee production).

Line graph comparing coffee production (tonnes) by country, showing Vietnam surpassed Colombia in the early 2000s | Sources: FAO, Latinometrics
Asia wrestles Latin America for coffee dominance

Yet no foreign country better encapsulates the changing coffee market than Vietnam.

Vietnam surpassed Colombia in the early 2000s to become the world’s second-largest coffeemaker. The country’s production has nearly tripled since that time, leaving it in a comfortable runner-up position behind Brazil (which has twice its population).

While Brazil’s own growth over this time has helped it maintain a strong lead over Hanoi, lots can change in the coming years. Might Asia soon take the coffee crown from Latin America?