Coffee imports by country are led by the European Union, the United States, and Japan, which together account for the majority of the roughly 141 million 60-kilogram bags moving across borders in the 2025/26 marketing year.1United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. Coffee: World Markets and Trade Behind those volumes sits a layered set of rules: duty-free tariff treatment in the United States, food-safety filings for every shipment, and, starting in late 2026, a European traceability regime that will reshape how beans reach the EU market.
Who Buys the Most Coffee
The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service measures coffee trade in 60-kilogram bags. For 2025/26, the biggest buyers project as follows:1United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. Coffee: World Markets and Trade
- European Union: about 46.6 million bags collectively, with Germany, Italy, and France taking the largest shares.
- United States: roughly 27 million bags, supported by a consumer base where more than half of adults drink coffee daily.
- Japan: around 7.4 million bags, feeding canned and ready-to-drink products alongside specialty roasters.
- Philippines: about 6.5 million bags, where domestic demand outstrips local production.
- Canada: approximately 5.3 million bags.
- China: roughly 4.2 million bags, growing as younger urban consumers pick up coffee habits.
- South Korea: about 3.4 million bags, with import value up 35 percent recently as café culture expands.
Inside the EU: Germany, Italy, and Switzerland
Germany dominates the European picture. Eurostat reports that Germany alone handled about 911,000 tonnes of extra-EU coffee imports in a recent year, a third of all coffee entering the bloc from outside its borders. That figure understates its full role because Germany also imports roasted product from other member states, and much of what it brings in gets roasted, blended, and re-exported. Italy follows at roughly 625,000 tonnes of extra-EU imports, feeding an espresso industry that consumed more than 10 million bags in 2023.2Eurostat. Happy International Coffee Day
Switzerland sits outside the EU but punches far above its population, importing about 3.4 million bags annually.1United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service. Coffee: World Markets and Trade The country roasts heavily for export, and major green-coffee traders like ECOM, Louis Dreyfus, and Olam run large contracts through Swiss desks even when the beans never physically arrive there.
Arabica and Robusta Shape What Each Country Buys
Roughly 60 to 70 percent of world production is Arabica, with Robusta making up the rest.3U.S. International Trade Commission. Is Robusta on the Rise? Trends in Coffee Species Trade Arabica commands higher prices and fills most retail and specialty channels in the United States and much of Europe. Robusta is cheaper to grow, tolerates warmer climates, and carries about twice the caffeine, which makes it the backbone of instant coffee and a key blending component for espresso.
That split explains a lot of import patterns. Italy pulls in substantial Robusta to get the body and crema its espresso tradition demands. Vietnam, the largest Robusta producer, ships heavily to Europe for soluble coffee manufacturers. Japan splits its buying between Arabica for specialty shops and processed coffee for its vending-machine and canned-drink market. Nearly all of this trade moves as green, unroasted beans, because unroasted coffee weighs less, ships more efficiently, and holds its quality far longer. Roasting happens close to the consumer.
How Import Prices Are Set
Arabica trade prices off the Coffee “C” futures contract on the Intercontinental Exchange. Buyers and sellers use it to lock in prices months ahead, which matters in a commodity where weather and shipping shocks move costs sharply. The contract is physically delivered, so it settles in actual bags rather than cash, giving it direct relevance to importers who need real beans.
Specialty coffees trade above that benchmark. Premiums are negotiated directly with farms or cooperatives based on cup scores, altitude, processing method, and certifications, and they range from around ten cents per pound to several dollars per pound for exceptional lots. The gap between commodity and specialty pricing has widened as buyers pay more for traceable, high-scoring coffees.
Importers manage price risk through hedging. A roaster needing beans in six months can buy a futures contract at today’s price, offsetting any spot-market rise by the time the shipment lands. Currency exposure adds another layer: a European buyer purchasing Brazilian coffee priced in dollars carries euro-dollar risk on top of the bean price.
U.S. Tariffs and Border Costs
Both green and roasted coffee enter the United States duty-free. Green, unroasted beans fall under HTS 0901.11.00 and roasted coffee under HTS 0901.21.00, each at a general duty rate of zero.4Harmonized Tariff Schedule. 2026 HTS Revision 4 – 0901.21.00 Soluble coffee and coffee extracts sit under different subheadings and may carry small duties depending on product form and origin.
Zero tariff does not mean zero border cost. Customs brokerage on a formal entry typically runs $150 to $400 per shipment, and drayage from the port to a warehouse adds roughly $400 to $1,000. Warehousing, insurance, and financing charges push the landed price further above the FOB origin price.
U.S. Regulatory Requirements
Getting a container of green coffee across a U.S. port involves three agencies working in parallel. It is simpler than importing meat or dairy, but errors still trigger holds.
USDA and APHIS Inspection
APHIS regulates green coffee under 7 CFR 319, Subpart O. Most ports do not require an import permit for green beans, though an importer can request a Letter of No Permit Required to speed clearance. Shipments are subject to inspection at entry under 7 CFR 330.105, with inspectors watching for coffee berry borer, Mediterranean fruit fly, and coffee leaf rust.5Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Coffee (Seed) Green, Unroasted from All Countries into All Ports A phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country’s plant protection authority must accompany each shipment.6Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Requirements for Phytosanitary Certificates
FDA Prior Notice and FSVP
Because coffee is food, every shipment must also clear the FDA. Importers file prior notice before arrival; for ocean freight, which carries essentially all commercial coffee, the notice must reach the FDA at least eight hours before the vessel arrives at port.7eCFR. 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart I – Requirements To Submit Prior Notice of Imported Food The agency also monitors coffee for Ochratoxin A, a mold-produced toxin that can develop when beans are dried or stored poorly.8U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Mycotoxins
Under the Food Safety Modernization Act, most coffee importers must maintain a Foreign Supplier Verification Program. That means identifying potential hazards for each coffee, evaluating each supplier’s food-safety practices, and documenting the review. A separate FSVP is required for each supplier-product combination. Green coffee gets a partial exemption from the full preventive-controls analysis because it cannot be consumed without roasting, but the verification obligation still applies.9U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FSMA Final Rule on Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals
Voluntary Qualified Importer Program
Large importers with clean records can apply for the FDA’s Voluntary Qualified Importer Program. Participants get expedited entry, examinations limited to for-cause situations like outbreak investigations, and priority lab processing when sampling does occur. Eligibility requires at least three years of import history, no active import alerts or Class 1 recalls, and an acceptable rating on the broker’s most recent FDA evaluation.10U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP)
EU Import Requirements
The European framework layers pesticide limits, plant-health checks, and, from December 2026, a new deforestation traceability rule.
Pesticide Residues and Phytosanitary Certificates
EU Regulation 396/2005 sets maximum residue levels for pesticides on food sold in the bloc, including imported coffee. The European Food Safety Authority assesses each pesticide-crop pairing and proposes thresholds; the European Commission publishes the binding numbers.11EUR-Lex. Regulation 396/200512European Commission. Maximum Residue Levels Coffee entering the EU must also carry a phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country’s plant protection authorities.13European Commission. Trade in Plants and Plant Products from Non-EU Countries
The EU Deforestation Regulation
Starting December 30, 2026, large and medium-sized companies placing coffee on the EU market must comply with the EU Deforestation Regulation. Importers must show that their coffee was not produced on land deforested after December 31, 2020, and that it was grown in line with the origin country’s laws on land use, labor, and environmental protection. Small and micro operators have until June 30, 2027.14European Commission. Regulation on Deforestation-free Products
In practical terms, importers have to collect GPS coordinates or polygon maps for every farm feeding a shipment, run a deforestation risk assessment using satellite data, and file a due diligence statement in the EU’s information system before the coffee can be sold. The rule covers coffee alongside cattle, wood, cocoa, soy, palm oil, and rubber. Non-compliance can trigger product confiscation, fines of up to four percent of EU turnover, and temporary market bans. Many smaller importers are building traceability systems now to meet the deadline.
Where Certifications Fit
Voluntary certifications shape a growing share of coffee trade alongside government rules. Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and organic labels each carry their own standards and premiums. Fair Trade includes an organic differential of $0.30 per pound on top of the minimum floor price when the beans also carry organic certification, with premiums flowing back to cooperatives.15Fair Trade USA. Fair Trade Price and Premium Search
European buyers have moved fastest toward certified supply chains, partly in anticipation of the deforestation rule and partly because European consumers show stronger willingness to pay for sustainability labels. Germany, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries carry some of the highest shares of certified coffee in their import mix. For importers, certified lots cost more upfront but can simplify EUDR compliance, because the farm-level records, GPS data, and audit trails maintained by the certification bodies overlap heavily with what the regulation demands.