Guatemala managed the export of over 3m bags of coffee earning $898m in 2024
December 31 - 2024
Coffee Geography Magazine
In the coffee year 2023-2024, 4.08 million quintals of green coffee (3.13 million 60 kg bags) were exported, equivalent to US$ 898,796,996 in foreign exchange earnings.
Coffee has been grown for export in Guatemala since the 1850s and today remains the second-most important agricultural export after sugar, injecting hundreds of millions of dollars annually into Guatemala’s economy. The coffee sector employs more than 125,000 Guatemalan families mainly small-scale producers. In 2018, coffee production was named “An Intangible Heritage of the Guatemalan nation”. Annually, the sector generates around half a million jobs, especially in medium and large production units.
According to data from the Bank of Guatemala -Banguat- as of August 2024, coffee is the most important agro-industrial product in Guatemala's exports and the 2nd most important of total exports.
Guatemalan coffee has been mainly destined for the North American market, which imported 52.7% of the harvest in the 2023-2024, 41.4% to the US and 11.2% to Canada.
The European market accounted for 25.1%, with three countries standing out: Belgium, one of the largest destination ports on the continent, with 8.4%, followed by Italy with 5.2% and Germany with 4.1%.
The Asian market, which continues to increase its interest in Guatemalan coffee, purchased 19.8% of the total harvest this year, with Japan standing out with 9.8%; South Korea with 4.7% and Taiwan with 1.8%.
In 2024, the project to update the coffee production area implemented by Anacafé's Geographic Information Systems Unit (GIS) was completed. It was precisely and systematically established that the country's coffee growing area currently covers 376,019 hectares. This project incorporated data that allows for a more precise characterization of the coffee landscape, strengthening strategic decision-making. This milestone represents a significant step towards consolidating Guatemala as a leader in the application of technology for the efficient management of coffee growing.