Brazil coffee exports jump 43% as arabica prices climb

Brazil coffee exports jumped 43.2% in August 2026 from a year earlier, to 3.8 million 60-kilogram bags, as arabica prices climbed on tight global supply.

The shipments brought in $1.2 billion, up 22.7% year on year and 27.2% from July, according to trade data. Arabica on the New York exchange averaged 344.56 US cents a pound in August, up 4.4% on the month and roughly flat on the year. Robusta moved the other way, averaging $3,701 a ton, down 5% on the month and 11.5% lower than a year earlier.

A record month, a weaker year

A smaller, slower crop, sold into stronger prices.

August's jump does not erase a slower 2026 overall. Brazil's cumulative exports for January through August came to 24.6 million bags, still 6.6% below the same period last year, with revenue of $8.7 billion down 12.5%. Brazil's 2026/27 harvest was only 52% complete as of July 1, behind the 60% logged at the same point in 2025, a gap that has kept exportable volumes tight even as farmers sell into strong prices.

Brazil remains the world's largest coffee producer and exporter, so swings in its harvest pace ripple quickly through global pricing, from roasters' futures contracts to the price of a flat white at the corner café.

Vietnam's robusta crop could ease the squeeze

The US Department of Agriculture expects Vietnam's robusta crop to set a record in the 2026/27 season, with harvesting running from October through February. That volume, once it reaches the market, is expected to ease some of the supply pressure that has kept robusta prices volatile this year, even as arabica has held firmer on thinner Brazilian stocks.

Brazil's own coffee stocks were already sitting at a 27-year low despite last year's record crop, a shortage that traders say keeps the market sensitive to any delay in this year's harvest. For now, roasters are paying up, and Brazilian growers are being rewarded handsomely for a smaller, slower crop this season.