Today Coffee is grown around the world. The area where coffee grows best is called the Coffee Belt. It is a belt that wraps around the world horizontally.
Many, but not all, countries in this region grow coffee. Some of the biggest coffee growers are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, Honduras, Ethiopia, Peru, and India.
What is the Coffee Belt?
The Coffee Belt is a horizontal section of the earth that wraps around the globe and covers the equator. It stretches from approximately 25 degrees North Latitude down across the equator to 30 degrees South Latitude.
Coffee trees can occasionally be grown in greenhouses in areas outside of the Coffee Belt. However, this coffee cannot easily be produced in large quantities and is of a significantly lower quality.
Greenhouses cannot compete with the natural factors of coffee grown in the Coffee Belt. They cannot reproduce the soil, sunlight, or water.
Why Does Coffee Grow in this Region?
The Coffee Belt is a region most commonly known for having two seasons instead of four. In this region there is a wet season and a dry season.
This region also has unique soil elements, a range of different soil types, a variety of altitudes, a warm temperature, and a consistent climate.
Soil
The soil is rich with volcanic remains, natural compost from the tropical plants that grow there, and much more. This is one of the key reasons why coffee grown in different countries and different regions has such unique flavors.
Each area has its own ph balance in the soil. The soil nutrients change from country to country and even from farm to farm within a country.
Just as with wine, the soil components have a big effect on coffee. As much, or even more, than the water, temperature, or climate.
Climate
Another key factor is the temperature and climate of the region. The Wet season is ideal for growing healthy coffee trees and juicy coffee cherries.
However, too much water can water-down the soil components of the flavor. This is why many coffee farms also plant water loving trees such as banana trees amongst the coffee trees. These trees prevent overwatering.
The Dry Season is perfect for harvesting and processing the beans. This is especially important since most coffee bean growers, producers, and roasters prefer sun-dried coffee beans.
Temperature and Altitude
Two more key factors in this region go hand in hand, they are temperature and altitude. The Coffee Belt has a variety of altitudes and temperatures; however they all have something in common.
Coffee likes to grow at an altitude between 3,500 feet (1,000 meters) to about 6,000 feet (1,800 meters). This altitude provides a stable growing temperature that ranges between 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 26 degrees Celsius).
What Countries Grow Coffee?
There are many countries that grow coffee around the world. Here they are divided into approximate regions.
Africa
- Ethiopia
- Uganda
- Ivory Coast or Côte d’Ivoire
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Cameroon
- Madagascar
- Gabon
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Burundi
- Togo
- Guinea
- Central African Republic
- Nigeria
- Mozambique
- Ghana
- Sierra Leone
- Angola
- Malawi
- Zimbabwe
- Liberia
- Zambia
- Equatorial Guinea
- Comoros
- Benin
- Cape Verde
- Sao Tome and Principe
The Americas (North, South, and Central)
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Guatemala
- Peru
- Nicaragua
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Ecuador
- Venezuela
- The Dominican Republic
- Haiti
- Cuba
- Panama
- Bolivia
- Jamaica
- Paraguay
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Puerto Rico
- USA – Hawaii
- Guyana
- Dominica
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Belize
- Guadeloupe
- Martinique
- Suriname
Asia
- Vietnam
- India
- China
- Laos
- Thailand
- Myanmar
- Malaysia
- Sri Lanka
- Nepal
- Cambodia
Australia and Oceania
- Indonesia
- Papua New Guinea
- The Philippines
- Timor-Leste
- Vanuatu
- French Polynesia
- Tonga
- Samoa
- Fiji
- New Caledonia
Europe & The Middle East
- Yemen
- Spain
Which Countries Grow the Most Coffee?
Coffee is a big business. While most countries in the world buy a lot of coffee from the Coffee Belt, in some countries Coffee Growing, Production, and Export is a key business.
Here are the Top Twenty Coffee Growing and Producing Countries in order along with how much they grew in 2020.
- Brazil – 3,558,000 Metric Tons – 7,844,000,000 Pounds
- Vietnam – 1,830,00 Metric Tons – 4,034,000,000 Pounds
- Colombia – 858,000 Metric Tons – 1,892,000,000 Pounds
- Indonesia – 642,000 Metric Tons – 1,415,000,000 Pounds
- Ethiopia – 441,000 Metric Tons – 972,000,000 Pounds
- Honduras – 390,000 Metric Tons – 860,000,000 Pounds
- India – 329,100 Metric Tons – 726,000,000 Pounds
- Mexico – 273,000 Metric Tons – 602,000,000 Pounds
- Peru – 270,000 Metric Tons – 595,000,000 Pounds
- Uganda – 255,000 Metric Tons – 562,000,000 Pounds
- Guatemala – 216,000 Metric Tons – 476,000,000 Pounds
- Nicaragua – 140,400 Metric Tons – 310,000,000 Pounds
- China – 138,000 Metric Tons – 304,000,000 Pounds
- Malaysia – 120,000 Metric Tons – 265,000,000 Pounds
- Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) – 108,000 Metric Tons – 238,000,000 Pounds
- Costa Rica – 82,500 Metric Tons – 182,000,000 Pounds
- Tanzania – 75,000 Metric Tons – 165,000,000 Pounds
- Papua New Guinea – 54,000 Metric Tons – 119,000,000 Pounds
- Thailand – 42,000 Metric Tons – 93,000,000 Pounds
- El Salvador – 39,000 Metric Tons – 86,000,000 Pounds
Can Coffee Grown Wild?
Yes, coffee can and still does grow wild in some areas. Coffee’s origins are in the cloud forests of Ethiopia, where it has grown wild for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Coffee still grows wild in Ethiopia and the people who live near these forests have a vibrant and ancient coffee culture.
Recently, coffee growing wild was found in South America at the site of an abandoned coffee plantation. The coffee trees had been growing wild since the farm had been abandoned.
What Countries Have Been Growing Cultivated Coffee the Longest?
The country currently believed to have been growing cultivated coffee for the longest is Yemen, specifically the region around the Port of Mokha.
They are believed to have started cultivating coffee sometime in the 15th century, or the 1400s. By the 1500s, they had commercialized coffee.
By the end of the 16th century, the 1500s, coffee was widely available in Egypt, Persia, Turkey, and Syria.
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.