Brazil’s coffee exports drop 27% in July, but revenue grows ahead of Trump’s tariff hike

Coffee is mainly shipped in containers; Port of Santos remains the main export hub, accounting for 80.4% of the total (Vanessa Rodrigues/AT Archive)

A report released by the Conselho dos Exportadores de Café do Brasil (Cecafé) shows that the country shipped 2.733 million 60-kg bags of coffee in July, the first month of the 2025/26 crop year. This figure represents a 27.6% drop compared to the same month in 2024. However, foreign exchange revenue set a record for July, reaching US\$ 1.033 billion — an annual increase of 10.4%.

In the accumulated total for the first seven months of 2025, Brazil’s coffee exports fell by 21.4% compared to the same period last year, with shipments dropping from 28.182 million bags to 22.150 million. Revenue, on the other hand, rose 36% over the amount recorded from January to July 2024, reaching a record US\$ 8.555 billion for the period.

“A reduction in shipments was already expected this year, since we had record exports in 2024. Stocks are low, and the harvest lacks surpluses, with total productive potential affected by climate conditions. As for foreign exchange revenue, we are still riding the wave of high international prices, reflecting a tight balance between supply and demand — or even a slight deficit in availability”, explains Márcio Ferreira, president of Cecafé.

Ports The Port of Santos remains Brazil’s main export hub for coffee in 2025, with 17.809 million bags shipped, accounting for 80.4% of the total over the first seven months of the year. Next comes the port complex of Rio de Janeiro, responsible for 15.5% with 3.429 million bags exported, followed by the Port of Paranaguá (PR), which shipped 208,950 bags, representing 0.9%.

The United States remains the largest buyer of Brazilian coffee in the same period, with 3.713 million bags imported, corresponding to 16.8% of total exports, despite a 17.9% drop compared to the volume purchased between January and July 2024.

“Up to July, we have not yet seen the impact of the 50% tariff hike imposed by the U.S. government on Brazilian coffee imports, since the measure only came into effect on August 6”, Ferreira explains.

According to him, for now, U.S. industries are in a holding pattern. “They have stocks for 30 to 60 days, which gives them some breathing room while they await the outcome of ongoing negotiations. However, we are already seeing requests for shipment extensions, which are extremely harmful to the sector”, he comments.

Product types In the first seven months of 2025, arabica coffee was the most exported type from Brazil, with 17.940 million bags shipped abroad. This volume represents 81% of total exports, although it marks a 13.3% decline compared to the same period last year. Soluble coffee followed, with the equivalent of 2.229 million bags exported (10.1% of the total), followed by the canéfora group (conilon + robusta) with 1.949 million bags (8.8%), and roasted and ground coffee (including industrial roasted products), with 31,755 bags (0.1%).

Coffees certified as having sustainable practices or superior quality accounted for 21.5% of Brazil’s total coffee exports between January and July 2025, totaling 4.759 million bags — a decrease of 8.8% compared to the same period last year.

Initiatives Cecafé states that it continues to work — alongside the Brazilian government, its counterparts in the U.S. private sector, and other relevant U.S. entities — to seek an exemption for Brazilian coffee from the newly imposed tariff list, given that the product is not cultivated on a commercial scale in the partner country.

“This exemption is justified by coffee’s fundamental role in the U.S. economy, in meeting local consumer demand, and by the fact that the two countries have a relationship of interdependence — with Brazil being the world’s largest producer and exporter and the main supplier to the Northern Hemisphere, and the United States being the largest global importer and consumer, as well as the top destination for Brazilian coffee”, Cecafé states in a release.

According to the president of the entity, the commercial relationship built over time with the U.S. should not be sacrificed. “Our shared history is much greater than the current moment. With pragmatism and diplomacy, we must negotiate in favor of both sides. Throughout the history of Brazil’s economic growth, coffee has always been ahead of its time — not only in numbers, but also in its social role”, he says.