Port of Santos handles 68% of Brazil’s coffee exports

Brazil shipped 50.4 million bags of coffee to 116 countries. Of this total, 34.3 million bags were exported from the region (Carlos Nogueira/AT Archive)

More than 50.4 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee were exported by Brazil in 2024, the highest figure since 2020. Of this total, 34.277 million bags (68% of the total) were shipped through the Port of Santos. The data was released yesterday by the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé).

The organization celebrates the positive results while simultaneously highlighting the need for infrastructure investments to mitigate logistical risks and losses caused by delays, which exceeded R\$ 40 million last year alone.

The record shipment was sent to 116 countries, representing a 28.5% increase compared to 2023 exports and a 12.8% rise compared to 2020, the previous record year.

The annual record was achieved with the export of 3.8 million bags of all types of coffee in December, according to Cecafé's monthly statistical report. This volume generated foreign exchange revenue of USD 1.145 billion last month.

“This result was driven by record shipments of arabica varieties, which grew 20% compared to 2023, and, most notably, robusta, which surged 98% year-over-year,” stated Cecafé President Márcio Ferreira.

The Port of Santos remained the leading export hub for the Brazilian commodity, handling 34.277 million bags (68%), followed by Rio de Janeiro with 14.075 million bags (27.9%) and Vitória (ES) with 474,222 bags (0.9%).

Revenue From January to December 2024, exports generated USD 12.515 billion for Brazil, a 55.4% increase compared to 2023. Ferreira explained that the result reflects the global market scenario, characterized by limited supply and rising commodity prices.

The United States led the ranking of trade partners, importing 8.131 million bags (16.1%), followed by Germany, with 7.590 million bags (15%).

By continent, Europe was the main destination for Brazilian coffee in 2024, with 26.5 million bags (52.6%), followed by North America (10.681 million bags, 21.2%) and Asia (9.796 million bags, 19.4%).

Harvest Brazilian coffee exports from July to December 2024 totaled 26.049 million bags, generating foreign exchange revenue of USD 7.165 billion.

Both figures represent the highest ever for the first half of a coffee crop year in Brazil and were driven by record achievements in volume and value for green and soluble coffee shipments. Compared to the first six months of the 2023/24 season, there were increases of 13% in volume and 59.4% in revenue.