Port of Santos handles more than 70% of Brazil’s coffee exports

In Brazil, September saw 3.894 million bags of coffee shipped abroad, an increase of 3.1% (Vanessa Rodrigues/AT Archive)

The Port of Santos maintains its position as the undisputed leader in handling Brazil’s coffee harvest for export. In the first nine months of 2026, the port complex in Santos was responsible for shipping 20.573 million 60-kilogram bags, representing 70.7% of the country’s total export volume. The figures are included in the latest monthly statistical report issued by the Conselho dos Exportadores de Café do Brasil (Cecafé).

Next in the national logistics ranking are the ports of Rio de Janeiro, which accounted for 25.2% of shipments (7.335 million bags), and the Port of Paranaguá (PR), with 1.1% of the total (312,128 bags).

Performance

In terms of Brazil’s overall exports, September saw 3.894 million bags shipped abroad, an increase of 3.1% compared with the 3.778 million bags recorded in the same month of 2025. Despite the increase in volume, foreign exchange revenue for the month fell by 7.1%, totaling US\$ 1.282 billion.

According to Cecafé President Márcio Ferreira, the growth in volume in September was directly driven by the recovery in sales to the United States, following the removal of tax-related uncertainties that had affected the sector.

Although the U.S. government had removed tariffs on most Brazilian green coffee in November 2025, soluble coffee remained subject to tariffs until July this year. “Joint efforts by Cecafé, industry associations, the National Coffee Association (NCA), and the Brazilian government ensured that the exemption for green coffee remained in place and that soluble coffee was included on the exemption lists.”

With greater clarity regarding trade rules, U.S. purchases surged, according to Cecafé. In September alone, the United States imported 625,192 bags of coffee from Brazil, an increase of 86.4% compared with the 335,339 bags recorded in September last year.

Cumulative figures

September’s performance boosted exports in the first quarter of the 2026/27 crop year (July to September). During this period, national shipments reached 11.21 million bags, up 15.5% from the 9.707 million bags recorded in the same three-month period of 2025. Quarterly revenue rose by 0.8%, reaching US\$ 3.561 billion.

From January to September 2026, Brazil’s total export volume stood at 29.095 million bags, remaining virtually unchanged (-0.2%) compared with the same period in 2025. However, foreign exchange revenue for the year fell by 8.6%, declining from US\$ 11.065 billion to US\$ 10.113 billion.

The fact that total export volumes have remained close to 2025 levels is explained by the recovery in shipments to the United States and the arrival of the new harvest. The flow of new crop lots initially faced delays due to rainfall during harvesting, particularly in July. However, international shipments have been returning to normal since August, and Cecafé projects that export totals will exceed last year’s figures by the end of 2026.

The decline in annual revenue reflects lower international prices, quality issues affecting the first lots of Arabica coffee exposed to rainfall, and a higher proportion of canephora species (Conilon and Robusta), which command lower average prices, in the export mix.

Destinations and varieties

Following the recovery in August and September, the United States regained its position as the leading buyer of Brazilian coffee for the year, overtaking Germany. From January to September, U.S. buyers purchased 3.805 million bags (13.1% of Brazil’s total, although 12.8% below the 2025 figure). Germany accounted for 3.307 million bags (11.4% of the total).

Rounding out the top five destinations were Italy (2.597 million bags, up 11.6%), Belgium (2.463 million bags, an increase of 44.5%), and Japan (1.451 million bags, down 23.3%).