According to the latest monthly statistical report from the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé), the country shipped 3.089 million 60 kg bags of all types of coffee in May of this year, a volume that implies a 3.6% increase compared to the same period in 2025. However, foreign exchange revenue fell by 16% in the same comparative period, to US$1.050 billion last month. With May's performance, Brazilian coffee exports jumped to 35.373 million bags in the first 11 months of the 2025/2026 crop year, generating US$13.612 billion for the country. These amounts represent decreases of 17.7% in volume and 0.7% in revenue compared to the period from July 2024 to May 2025.

CIVIL YEAR

In the first five months of 2026, Brazil exported 14.745 million bags of coffee, representing a 12.4% decline compared to the 16.825 million bags exported between January and May of last year. Revenue from exports totaled US$5.552 billion during this period, 14.6% lower than the US$6.498 billion recorded in the first five months of 2025. The president of Cecafé, Márcio Ferreira, notes that this performance is within expectations given the current market scenario, with the transition from the off-season to the arrival of the new harvest. “The slight increase in May reflects the arrival of coffee harvested this year, mainly canephora, which includes our conilon and robusta varieties, a trend we should also see with arabica in the coming months. However, the accumulated decrease for 2026 reflects a smaller harvest and the large volume of exports recorded last year,” he explains. For the coming months, with the expectation of a record harvest in Brazil, he believes the country should increase the levels of coffee exported abroad. “The weather was favorable in most of the coffee-growing region, allowing for a harvest with excellent quality, high productivity, and consequently, good volume. Under normal temperature and pressure conditions, we will see growth in shipments, especially in the second half of the year,” he projects. Ferreira cautions, however, that geopolitical tensions, logistical port shortcomings in Brazil, and uncertainties regarding US trade policy could hinder the sector. “The war in the Middle East has increased maritime freight costs for importers of our coffee, just as the lack of infrastructure in Brazilian ports has generated losses of millions of dollars for exporters and delayed shipments. Furthermore, the constant back-and-forth regarding tariff issues from the US government creates uncertainty and ends up delaying business with US partners, who are waiting for a resolution to resume their purchases at a normal pace,” he concludes.

MAIN DESTINATIONS

Germany is the main importer of Brazilian coffee in the first five months of 2026, acquiring 1.911 million bags, an amount that represents 13% of the country's total shipments in the period, despite implying a 10% decrease compared to the same period in 2025. The USA follows, with 1.771 million bags – 12% of the total – which represents a 38.4% decrease compared to the first five months of last year. Rounding out the top 5 are Italy, with 1.420 million bags and a 3.2% increase; Belgium, with 917,385 bags and a 13% increase; and Japan, with 734,591 bags and a 32.6% decrease.

TYPES OF COFFEE

Arabica coffee, with 11.126 million bags, remains the most exported by Brazil between January and May 2026. This amount is equivalent to 75.5% of the total, even showing a 21.3% decrease compared to the first five months of last year. The canephora variety (conilon + robusta) follows, with shipments of 1.891 million bags (12.8% of the total), showing substantial growth of 86.5% compared to the amount sent abroad in the first five months of 2025. The soluble coffee segment, with 1.707 million bags (11.6% of the total), and the industrial sector of roasted and roasted and ground coffee, with 20,714 bags (0.1%), complete the list. Specialty Coffees: Coffees with superior quality, certified for sustainable practices and/or specialty coffees accounted for 17.6% of total Brazilian exports from January to the end of May 2026, with 2.590 million bags shipped abroad, a volume representing a 30.1% decrease compared to the same period in 2025. At an average price of US$ 434.01 per bag, the foreign exchange revenue from shipments of specialty coffees was US$ 1.124 billion, which corresponds to 20.2% of the total obtained from all coffee shipments in the first five months of 2026. In an annual comparison, the value is 31.1% lower than that recorded between January and May of last year. Germany leads the ranking of the main destinations for specialty coffees, purchasing 327,883 bags, equivalent to 12.7% of the total exported of this type of product. Rounding out the top 5 are the USA, with 308,435 bags and representing 11.9%; Italy, with 286,916 bags (11.1%); Belgium, with 275,433 bags (10.6%); and the Netherlands, with 156,366 bags (6%).

PORTS

The Port of Santos is the main exporter of Brazilian coffee in the first five months of 2026, with 10.728 million bags and representing 72.8% of the total. Following this are the port complex of Rio de Janeiro, which accounted for 23.2% of shipments, sending 3.419 million bags abroad, and the Port of Paranaguá (PR), which shipped 166,524 bags and had a representation of 1.1%. The complete report on Brazilian coffee exports, with the update referring to May 2026, is available on the Cecafé website: https://www.cecafe.com.br/. 

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.