Changes in the points of consumption, increased sales through electronic channels, and more direct relationships between producers and roasters are some of the transformations reported in the coffee market at the regional and global level.
Changes in consumer habits, which were caused by the outbreak of covid-19 and the imposition of severe quarantines, ended up transforming several markets, including the coffee market.
In the department of El Paraíso, a high-tech plant was inaugurated that will be dedicated to the production and processing of coffee products and specialty coffees.
The plant is located in Teupasenti and is called BioFortune. A $1 million investment was required and it has controlled fermentation and dehydration equipment.
Guatemalan producers reported that for the 2018-2019 harvest, exports to these Asian markets gained importance, as Malaysia was sold 103,000 quintals of green coffee and 80,000 to China.
Figures from the National Coffee Association (Anacafe), specify that for the 2018-2019 agricultural cycle the export of coffee was 4.6 million quintals gold and generated a foreign exchange income of $663 million.
The Guatemalan exporters' guild made available to specialty coffee producers the digital platform CoffeVerse, which is focused on expanding business opportunities and markets.
The platform that was presented by the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport) includes a geolocation data of farms and it is expected that in the coming months the system will include details of the producing farms.
By analyzing the behavior of the global market, it is established that Holland, Switzerland and Germany are willing to pay a higher price for a distinctive cup of coffee.
Between the Committee of Distinguished Coffees of the guild of exporters of Guatemala and the European Union, they carried out the study called "Trends and Opportunities of exportation of coffee with added value", in which the price of coffee in 77 cities of the world was compared.
While producers in El Salvador predict that the local crop could be extinct in the next two years because of falling international prices, other countries in the region place grain at more favorable prices.
Each country's realities are different, as there are several differences that are reflected in the amounts exported and in the average prices at which the grain sells abroad.
In order to sell the grain at better prices, Salvadoran coffee growers are interested in exporting to countries such as Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay.
According to directors of the Salvadoran Coffee Council, South American countries are potential markets for the grain produced in El Salvador, since the consumption of specialty coffees is increasing.
Although the U.S. is the main buyer of Guatemalan coffee, data from the exporters' guild indicate that South Korea is one of the markets that pays the best prices for the grain, while Italy pays one of the lowest prices.
#Although the main buyer of Guatemalan coffee is the United States, there are indications that Asian countries tend to appreciate Guatemalan coffee more, paying a higher price for it, notes the report "Guatemalan Coffee: A Focus on the World Market and Its Productivity.
In October and November last year, gold grain exports from Nicaragua totaled $13 million, 60% less than what was sold in the same months of 2017.
Figures from the Export Processing Center (Cetrex) detail that in the first two months of 2018-2019 harvest, the country sold abroad 103,380 quintals of gold grain, 58% less than the 248,808 quintals exported in the same period of the 2017-2018 harvest.
During the first six months of the year, coffee exports from Central American countries totaled $1,948 million, 9% less than what was reported in the same period in 2017.
Figures from the information system on the coffee market in Central America complied by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
The Salvadoran Coffee Council and Alliance for Coffee Excellence announced that during March 2019 samples will be received to participate in the contest.
The organizers informed that from November 2018 to January 2019 the participants of the international quality contest "Cup of Excellence El Salvador 2019" will be trained. The period for receiving samples is from March 11th to 15th and from March 18th to 22nd, 2019.
Because of the drought and the decrease in international prices, the trade guilds of the sector in El Salvador are projecting a decrease in production for the next harvests.
Marcelino Samayoa, CEO of the Asociación Salvadoreña de Beneficiadores y Exportadores (Abecafé), explained to Elmundo.sv that "... The drought registered in 2018 caused a slow increase in the ‘bandolas’, which are the branches of the coffee segments that should be there for 2019/2020.
Between the 2011-2012 and 2016-2017 harvests, the difference between the average price per quintal of the country's exports and the international market price of grain has more than doubled, from $25 to $54.
According to Investing.com data and figures provided by the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (Icafe), during coffee year 2011-2012 the average value of a 46 kg bag of coffee on the New York Market was $198.12 and the average price of Costa Rican exports was $222.76, reflecting a difference of $24.64.
In the first eight months of the year the country generated $381 million from exports of the grain, 14% less than the $445 million reported in the same period in 2017.
According to figures from the Export Procedures Center (Cetrex), a decrease was also reported in relation to the volume exported for the period from January to August of this year, compared to the first eight months of 2017, in this case a drop of 3%.
A Taiwanese company has paid $803 for a pound of geisha coffee produced in the province of Chiriqui, surpassing the highest price of $601 paid for a grain of this type.
In the online auction 'The Best of Panama 2018', the Asian company Black Gold Coffee Co paid the highest amount per pound that has been registered for a coffee of the geisha variety, buying it from Elida Geisha Green Tip Natural which produces the grain in the District of Boquete.