Where is Coffee Grown Today? (Solved & Explained!)

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

  1. Ethiopia
  2. Uganda
  3. Ivory Coast or Côte d’Ivoire
  4. Kenya
  5. Tanzania
  6. Cameroon
  7. Madagascar
  8. Gabon
  9. The Democratic Republic of the Congo
  10. Rwanda
  11. Burundi
  12. Togo
  13. Guinea
  14. Central African Republic
  15. Nigeria
  16. Mozambique
  17. Ghana
  18. Sierra Leone
  19. Angola
  20. Malawi
  21. Zimbabwe
  22. Liberia
  23. Zambia
  24. Equatorial Guinea
  25. Comoros
  26. Benin
  27. Cape Verde
  28. Sao Tome and Principe

The Americas (North, South, and Central)

  1. Brazil
  2. Colombia
  3. Honduras
  4. Mexico
  5. Guatemala
  6. Peru
  7. Nicaragua
  8. Costa Rica
  9. El Salvador
  10. Ecuador
  11. Venezuela
  12. The Dominican Republic
  13. Haiti
  14. Cuba
  15. Panama
  16. Bolivia
  17. Jamaica
  18. Paraguay
  19. Trinidad and Tobago
  20. Puerto Rico
  21. USA – Hawaii
  22. Guyana
  23. Dominica
  24. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  25. Belize
  26. Guadeloupe
  27. Martinique
  28. Suriname

Asia

  1. Vietnam
  2. India
  3. China
  4. Laos
  5. Thailand
  6. Myanmar
  7. Malaysia
  8. Sri Lanka
  9. Nepal
  10. Cambodia

Australia and Oceania

  1. Indonesia
  2. Papua New Guinea
  3. The Philippines
  4. Timor-Leste
  5. Vanuatu
  6. French Polynesia
  7. Tonga
  8. Samoa
  9. Fiji
  10. New Caledonia

Europe & The Middle East

  1. Yemen
  2. 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.

  1. Brazil – 3,558,000 Metric Tons – 7,844,000,000 Pounds
  2. Vietnam – 1,830,00 Metric Tons – 4,034,000,000 Pounds
  3. Colombia – 858,000 Metric Tons – 1,892,000,000 Pounds
  4. Indonesia – 642,000 Metric Tons – 1,415,000,000 Pounds
  5. Ethiopia – 441,000 Metric Tons – 972,000,000 Pounds
  6. Honduras – 390,000 Metric Tons – 860,000,000 Pounds
  7. India – 329,100 Metric Tons – 726,000,000 Pounds
  8. Mexico – 273,000 Metric Tons – 602,000,000 Pounds
  9. Peru – 270,000 Metric Tons – 595,000,000 Pounds
  10. Uganda – 255,000 Metric Tons – 562,000,000 Pounds
  11. Guatemala – 216,000 Metric Tons – 476,000,000 Pounds
  12. Nicaragua – 140,400 Metric Tons – 310,000,000 Pounds
  13. China – 138,000 Metric Tons – 304,000,000 Pounds
  14. Malaysia – 120,000 Metric Tons – 265,000,000 Pounds
  15. Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire) – 108,000 Metric Tons – 238,000,000 Pounds
  16. Costa Rica – 82,500 Metric Tons – 182,000,000 Pounds
  17. Tanzania – 75,000 Metric Tons – 165,000,000 Pounds
  18. Papua New Guinea – 54,000 Metric Tons – 119,000,000 Pounds
  19. Thailand – 42,000 Metric Tons – 93,000,000 Pounds
  20. 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.