Where is coffee grown around the world?
In the coffee belt between the 23rd parallel north and the 25th parallel south around the equator. The largest producing countries are Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia, Indonesia, and Ethiopia.
Why that is
The coffee plant needs a tropical to subtropical climate: year-round temperatures between 18 and 25 °C, 1,500–2,000 mm of annual rainfall, and no frost risk. These conditions are found in a belt around the equator — the so-called coffee belt. Over 70 countries grow coffee there.
The distribution is anything but even. Brazil alone produces roughly a third of the world's coffee — mainly Arabica from the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo. Vietnam follows as the second-largest producer, dominated by Robusta. Colombia is known for high-quality washed Arabica. Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, offers the greatest genetic diversity. Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi) produces both Arabica and Robusta.
In Central America, Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica are important growing countries with a strong specialty coffee tradition. In East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda deliver coffees with distinctive fruit acids. In Asia, India and Myanmar are gaining significance alongside Vietnam.
Each origin country has its own flavour profile — shaped by soil, altitude, climate, varieties, and processing methods. A Brazilian coffee tastes fundamentally different from a Kenyan one, even though both are Arabica. That diversity is precisely what makes specialty coffee so versatile.
In practice at Green Wall Coffee
At our café on Sophienstraße 27 in Berlin-Lichtenberg, the coffees come from several countries of the coffee belt, from Kenya to Colombia. A coffee from Kenya tastes different from one from Guatemala. The coffee belt is far away, but it determines what ends up in the cup here in Lichtenberg.
Stop by Sophienstraße 27 in Berlin-Lichtenberg — Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.
Further reading
Related questions:
- Why Doesn't Coffee Grow in Europe?
- Which Countries Produce the Most Coffee?
- What Does Single Origin Mean?
Also relevant:
- Which country drinks the most coffee worldwide? — Coffee Basics & General
- How Many Coffee Species Exist Worldwide? — Coffee Basics & General
All questions in this topic: Growing, Origin & Climate