Cecafé: Coffee exports rise as Santos handles nearly 75% of shipments

Brazil exported 3.122 million 60-kg bags of coffee in April, up 0.6% from the same month in 2025, according to data from Cecafé. Despite the slight increase in shipments, export revenue fell 17.7% in the same comparison, from US$1.347 billion to US$1.109 billion, reflecting weaker international prices.

According to the association, April’s performance was supported by the arrival of part of the new crop, especially canephora coffees such as conilon and robusta. Still, the lower value per bag and weaker external prices limited the increase in export revenue. Cecafé also said reduced arabica availability helped curb dollar inflows both in the month and in the year to date.

In the first four months of 2026, Brazilian coffee shipments totaled 11.619 million bags, down 16.1% from the same period last year. Export revenue from January to April reached US$4.490 billion, a 14.4% year-on-year decline. In the first 10 months of the 2025/26 crop year, exports totaled 32.247 million bags, down 19.4%, while revenue rose 0.8% to US$12.551 billion.

From a logistics standpoint, the Port of Santos remained the main export corridor for Brazilian coffee in the first four months of the year. The port handled 8.678 million bags, equivalent to 74.7% of the country’s total coffee exports in the period. It was followed by the Rio de Janeiro port complex, with 2.476 million bags and a 21.3% share, and the Port of Paranaguá, with 132,487 bags and a 1.1% share.

The concentration of shipments in Santos reinforces the weight of the São Paulo port in Brazil’s maritime coffee logistics, especially in a context of lower exportable supply and the need for efficient outbound flows. Rio de Janeiro also remained relevant as an alternative corridor for the commodity, while Paranaguá had a much more limited share of coffee flows.

The following table compares the performance of the leading coffee export terminals in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026 against the same period last year. This data is sourced from Datamar’s DataLiner platform:

Top Coffee Terminals | Q1 2026 vs. Q1 2025 | TEUs

Principais Terminais de Café | Jan-Mar 2026 vs. Jan-Mar 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Among destinations, Germany led purchases of Brazilian coffee between January and April, with 1.563 million bags, or 13.4% of total exports, despite a 12.8% decline from the same period in 2025. The United States followed, with 1.390 million bags, down 41.5%. Rounding out the top five markets were Italy, with 1.182 million bags, up 3.2%; Belgium, with 713,790 bags, up 15.4%; and Japan, with 612,720 bags, down 29.7%.

In the export mix, arabica remained the main product shipped, with 8.984 million bags in the four-month period, equivalent to 77.3% of the total, although volumes fell 23.4% from the same period last year. Soluble coffee totaled 1.338 million bags, up 4.1%, while canephora coffees reached 1.284 million bags, up 58.8%. Roasted and roasted-and-ground coffee shipments totaled 14,259 bags, down 23.7%.

The increase in canephora shipments helps explain part of the support for April’s export volume. According to Cecafé, robusta and conilon shipments grew 374% year on year in the month. Because these varieties have a lower absolute value per bag than arabica, the increase in volume did not translate into export revenue at the same pace.

In the specialty coffee segment, which includes higher-quality, certified or specialty products, Brazil exported 2.076 million bags from January to April, down 36.3% year on year. These sales accounted for 17.9% of total shipments and generated US$919.888 million, equivalent to 20.5% of total coffee export revenue in the four-month period. Germany also led this niche, followed by Italy, the United States, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Source: Cecafé

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