Colombia’s Coffee Output Climbs to Ten-Year High in July, Eyes Processing Expansion

Colombia’s coffee harvest just reached its highest July level in ten years, with the country producing 1.37 million standard bags—a 19% jump from last year, according to official data from the National Federation of Coffee Growers.

This boost happened because heavy rains earlier in the year delayed flowering, so much of the main crop was picked later than usual. In July, exports hit 1.15 million bags—12% more than a year ago.

In twelve months up to July 2025, Colombia produced 14.6 million bags overall, up by 18% from the previous year. From January to July, output reached 7.59 million bags, or 9% above last year’s mark.

Coffee remains a core economic driver for Colombia, helping offset lower earnings from oil and minerals. Coffee exports for the first half of 2025 brought in $2.69 billion, up 83% from a year earlier, based on figures from the national statistics office.

Coffee is the main livelihood for about 549,000 Colombian families. Most of their harvest travels abroad, mostly to the United States, Europe, and Canada.

While their incomes rose with this big crop, they still face risks from weather changes and rising costs, especially for fertilizer. Government and industry leaders now say Colombia cannot rely only on exporting raw beans.

President Gustavo Petro and the national coffee federation both back new policies to process more coffee inside the country.

Plans include building more coffee factories and helping farmers’ cooperatives, aiming to create finished products for Asia and the Middle East, not just raw beans.

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