Coffee Geography

An economic giant, coffee is 2nd only to oil in dollars traded. Although there are over 60 varieties of coffee, only 2 types, Arabica and Robusta, are commercially cultivated. These are grown in more than 50 countries worldwide. Some 30 of those countries produce over 5,000,000 tons of coffee every year.

All coffee is grown between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, the imaginary lines that circle the globe approximately 23 degrees north and south of the equator. A warm and humid climate is necessary for growing the relatively delicate coffee plants.

Brazil is the largest supplier of coffee in the world. Columbia is # 2 with about 2/3rds of Brazil's coffee production. Hawaii is the only state in the USA where coffee beans are grown, though over 1/3rd of the world’s coffee is consumed by Americans.