Coffee traders control 35% of global exports amid EU regulation shifts

New research from the non-profit Trase reveals significant market concentration in the global coffee industry, with the top ten trading companies controlling 35% of global exports. The top thirty companies collectively manage 55% of the market.

Brazil and Vietnam are the leading producers, contributing 32% and 18% of global exports, respectively. Together with Colombia and Indonesia, these four nations supply two-thirds of the world’s coffee. The European Union is the largest consumer market, accounting for 40% of global imports, while the United States accounts for 18%.

The European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) is expected to have a profound impact on global sourcing. Because companies supplying the EU handle nearly 80% of worldwide coffee shipments, they may find it more cost-effective to apply EU traceability and deforestation-free standards across their entire global supply chains rather than maintaining separate systems. This could lead to industry-wide shifts toward enhanced transparency and sustainable practices, even for coffee destined for non-EU markets.