Buyers were driven to buy the Guatemalan grain as a quality alternative to Colombia's arabica beans. The South American country is expected to have its worst harvest in 35 years, due to bad weather and a tree replacement program.

The article in Reuters remarks that while Europe is buying more, another top purchaser of Guatemalan coffee, Starbucks, is buying at a slower rhythm than usual.

For the present coffee cycle, Guatemalan growers expect to export 20% more than the previous harvest.

Source: Reuters

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