Most people love to start their morning with a cup of joe, but very few actually think about where their coffee came from! So what continent does coffee come from? Well, the answer is many! Coffee originally came from the continent of Africa and is not currently farmed in Central America, South America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East!
There’s a lot to know about the origins of coffee and where it grows! Read on to find out everything there is to know about what continent coffee comes from.
What Continents does coffee come from?
As mentioned above, there are a few places on earth that have the climate and conditions necessary to grow and harvest coffee in large amounts. Central America, South America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East all have the warm environment and fertile land necessary to grow coffee.
Although coffee can be grown in small amounts in places on other continents, these are the continents with the climate to support large coffee harvests, and that export coffee in large amounts.
Central America
Central America is not technically its own continent. However, it is distinct enough from the rest of North America to warrant a mention. There is a ton of coffee that’s produced in Central America, due to its warm environment and lush soil. Countries like Guatemala and Honduras are some of the leading coffee producers in the world!
However, due to its smaller size, Central America is unable to compete with some larger continents when it comes to exports, even though they are prolific coffee producers.
South America
Following the trend from Central America, South America is also one of the leading coffee producers worldwide, and together with Central America, Latin American countries easily lead the world in coffee harvesting and exports.
Nations like Brazil and Colombia produce the lion’s share of the coffee that comes from South America, but there are many nations on this continent that are able to produce and export coffee as one of their chief exports.
Many South American countries have similar climates and soil types as their Central American neighbors, so it makes sense for both to be able to produce a ton of delicious bean juice!
Africa
Despite many westerners conjuring images of deserts in their mind when they think of Africa, this massive continent actually has a wide variety of environmental types and climates. Some of these are actually perfect for producing coffee as well!
As far as specific countries that produce a lot of coffee, Ethiopia dominates Africa’s coffee production. This is because it has the climate and soil to grow coffee naturally, as this is actually the place where coffee was first discovered! To learn more about the discovery of coffee, scroll down!
There are some competitors to Ethiopia’s coffee crown popping up, however, as with the discovery of a new kind of coffee bean in Sierra Leonne, there are some west African countries starting to produce coffee beans en masse as well.
Asia
Although not among the leading producers of coffee when it comes to continents, there are some Asian countries that produce a whole lot of java. India, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam are all significant enough producers of coffee to be mentioned.
However, Indonesia stands out from the pack, as they produced 10.7 million 60kg backs of robusta coffee beans in 2019, making them the world’s third-largest producer of this kind of bean.
The Middle East
Similar to Central America, the Middle East is technically not its own continent. However, it is a distinct region where coffee is grown, so it’s important to mention. Nations like Yemen and Saudi Arabia do produce coffee, but certainly not in the same numbers as places like Latin America and Asia.
Yemeni coffee beans are very similar to beans grown in Ethiopia, as this is where they originally came from and the climates are quite similar to one another.
Does coffee grow in North America?
Coffee is not grown in large amounts in North America. It can grow in only two states in the United States, California, and Hawaii, and these are not major producers or exporters of coffee. North America by and large does not have the tropical climate to support coffee growth, as its summers are too short and its winters are too cold to allow the beans to flourish.
However, North America is a major consumer of coffee, meaning they are among the chief importers of coffee exported from the continents listed above.
Does coffee grow in Europe?
Just like North America, Europe is a bit too cold to grow coffee effectively. However, maybe even more so than Canada and the United States, Europeans are some of the world’s most prolific coffee drinkers. In fact, on the list of the world’s highest coffee consumers, Europe takes up the entire top 5 spots, with Scandinavian countries having a particular penchant for the hot drink.
Where was coffee first discovered?
Legend says coffee was first discovered by a goat herder named Kaldi in Ethiopia who observed his goats having extra energy after eating the beans that had naturally grown in the Ethiopian wilderness. However, this is just speculation.
The first documented instances of coffee drinking come from the Middle East, though coffee was most likely used far before it was first written about. It’s safe to bet that coffee was first discovered in the Middle East or Africa, but different regions also probably discovered uses for the bean independently.
What continent produces the most coffee?
South America is the world’s leading producer of coffee. This is because of the extremely high amount of coffee that is able to be grown in the climate. Specifically, Brazil has been the world’s leading producer of coffee for a long while.
Who consumes the most coffee?
As mentioned above, Europe is the world’s leader in coffee drinking. Scandinavian countries in particular import a ton of coffee. The United States is also an extremely high consumption of coffee, as Americans drink 363 cups of coffee per capita per year on average.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.