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Origin · Country profile

Honduras

An arabica-only origin of smallholders in the mountains of western, central and eastern Honduras, harvested from October to March, with the national coffee institute IHCAFE at the centre of its statistics, research and trade.

Across the chain: History

Source-checked· Last source-checked 3 Nov 2026· Prepared with AI assistance· 30 sources (23 tier A)· 7 contested· Updated 3 Nov 2026· Literature last searched 3 Nov 2026
Reading depth
Contents
  • Honduras produced 5.53 million bags of 60 kg in 2025/26, all arabica, by the count of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA); USDA forecasts 6.03 million for 2026/27.1
  • In the national coffee institute’s (IHCAFE) table for 2023/24, small producers were 94.3% of 92,421 registered producers but grew 53.8% of the coffee (our calculation).5
  • The coffee harvest runs from October to March, depending on the altitude of the farm, according to IHCAFE.6
  • In January 2013 the government declared a national phytosanitary emergency over leaf rust, citing an IHCAFE study that found 25% of the coffee area affected.13
  • Café de Marcala (registered November 2005) and Cafés del Occidente Hondureño are protected in the EU under its association agreement with Central America.20,21

Snapshot#

Honduras grows only arabica (C. arabica) in the tables of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).1 USDA puts the 2025/26 crop at 5.53 million bags of 60 kg.1 That is 3.09% of the world total of 178.8 million bags (our calculation).1 For 2026/27, USDA forecasts 6.03 million bags, nearly all of the growth in Central America and Mexico.1

In the statistics of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Honduras produced 324,015 t of green coffee in 2024.3 That ranks tenth among 78 countries and is 2.91% of their total (our calculation); the ninth, the Central African Republic, is 908 t ahead with a figure FAO marks as imputed.3 Its national average yield was 1,215 kg/ha in 2024.4

Coffee is the permanent crop with the largest planted area in the 2024 agricultural census: 440,217 ha (our reading of the table).7 Most producers registered with the national coffee institute are smallholders.5,6

Where coffee grows#

Coffee grows in 15 of Honduras’s 18 departments, according to the Honduran Coffee Institute (IHCAFE).6,11 USDA groups production into six regions: Copán, Montecillos, Opalaca, Comayagua, El Paraíso and Agalta.5 It places these regions at 1,000–1,600 m.5 In the same report, 61% of farms lie at about 1,189–1,585 m (source: 3,900–5,200 ft; our conversion).5

Relief map of Honduras with layers for the coffee regions, the denomination of origin Café de Marcala and the national coffee institute’s research centres, the forecast leaf rust incidence by department for 2024/25, and the 2025 Cup of Excellence entries by departmentGUATEMALAEL SALVADORNICARAGUABELIZECaribbean SeaGulf of FonsecaL. YojoaSan Pedro SulaTegucigalpaLa CeibaComayaguaSanta Rosa de CopánJuticalpaCholutecaLa EsperanzaYoroTrujilloMarcalaCIC-JAPCIC-JVECIC-JASCIC-CABLas LagunasF. Espinoza M.
darker = higher (500, 1,000 and 1,600 m)dashed: department bordersRelief: AWS Terrain Tiles, 0.08° means; borders and towns: Natural Earth; departments: geoBoundaries
Interactive relief map of Honduras. Layers: the six coffee regions with the altitude ranges the Presidency gave in 2016 (listed, since no source names their departments), Café de Marcala and IHCAFE’s research centres (positions approximate); departments with forecast leaf rust incidence for 2024/25; and departments by 2025 Cup of Excellence lot entries. No official production table by department could be accessed.5,24,23,20,21,10

Regions. A 2016 release of the Presidency gives altitude ranges for five of the six regions.24 Copán lies at 1,000–1,500 m, Opalaca at 1,100–1,600 m and Montecillos at 1,200–1,600 m.24 Agalta and El Paraíso reach 1,100–1,400 m.24 The release gives no range for Comayagua and names no departments for any region.24

Departments. No official table of production by department could be accessed for this entry. The sources consulted name departments only in other contexts. For example, USDA’s rust outlook for 2024/25 names Intibucá, Santa Bárbara, Comayagua, Yoro, Cortés, Colón, Francisco Morazán and Lempira.5

0 m500 m1,000 m1,500 m2,000 m2,500 mM750 m1,110 m1,440 mSan Pedro SulaLa Fe, IlamaLos LinderosLake YojoaSiguatepequeMarcala0 km25 km50 km75 km100 km125 km150 km175 kmShaded: 1,000–1,600 m, where USDA places the coffee regions; darker: about 1,189–1,585 m, 61% of farms (our conversion) 5 .Dashed: 1,500 m, above which a 2015 model finds Honduras gaining suitability by the 2050s 25 .Ticks: IHCAFE centres at La Fe, Los Linderos and San José (Las Lagunas), published altitudes 10 ; M: Montecillos region 24 .Bent at the places marked (positions approximate); vertical scale about 30×. Terrain: AWS Terrain Tiles, 0.03° means.
Section from the lowlands at San Pedro Sula over the Santa Bárbara mountains, past Lake Yojoa and Siguatepeque, to San José and Marcala in La Paz. Shaded: 1,000–1,600 m, where USDA places the coffee regions; darker: about 1,189–1,585 m, where it places 61% of farms. Marks: IHCAFE research centres at La Fe (750 m), Los Linderos (1,110 m) and Las Lagunas (1,440 m). Dashed: 1,500 m, above which a 2015 model finds Honduras gaining suitability by the 2050s. M: the Montecillos region, 1,200–1,600 m.5,10,25,24

Climate and harvest#

The harvest runs from October to March, depending on the altitude of the farm, according to IHCAFE.6 The Presidency’s 2016 release dates the harvest in Comayagua and Agalta to December–March.24 Harvest calendars compares these months with other origins.

The coffee year. USDA uses an October–September marketing year for Honduras.1 IHCAFE’s statistics also count by harvest (cosecha), such as 2020–2021.6 Crop year and coffee year explains the different calendars.

Farms and people#

In IHCAFE’s table for 2023/24, 92,421 producers were registered with the institute (our sum).5 Of these, 87,136 were small, 4,746 medium and 539 large.5 IHCAFE’s 2020–21 report counts more than 120,000 producing families, and so did the agriculture minister in 2025.6,28 These are different counts (see Contested).

Who grows the coffee. Small producers were 94.3% of those registered, but harvested 68.9% of the area and produced 53.8% of the coffee (our calculation).5 IHCAFE defines small producers as those producing under 50 quintales of green coffee.6

020406080100% of the three size classes in IHCAFE’s table (our calculation from the row values)Registered producers94.3% (87,136 of 92,421)5 Area harvested68.9% (193,092 of 280,097 ha)5 Production53.8% (2,502,386 of 4,650,354 60-kg bags)5
Data table
% of the three size classes in IHCAFE’s table (our calculation from the row values)Source
Registered producers94.3% (87,136 of 92,421)5
Area harvested68.9% (193,092 of 280,097 ha)5
Production53.8% (2,502,386 of 4,650,354 60-kg bags)5
Small producers’ share of registered producers, harvested area and production in 2023/24, from IHCAFE’s table by farm size as reproduced by USDA. Shares are our calculation from the rows.5

Jobs. IHCAFE estimates that the sector generates more than 1.1 million jobs.6 Living income gives Fairtrade’s reference price for organic Honduran coffee.29

Varieties#

USDA’s tables list only arabica for Honduras.1 IHCAFE lists its commercial varieties as Lempira, Parainema, IHCAFE 90, Catuaí, Pacas, Pacamara and IHCATU.10 No variety census was consulted, so the share of each variety is not known.

Bred in Honduras. Lempira and IHCAFE 90 are Catimors, crosses of Timor Hybrid 832/1 with Caturra selected by IHCAFE.16,17 A 2015 review lists both among the locally selected cultivars with rust resistance developed in the region.15 World Coffee Research records both as confirmed susceptible to leaf rust in Honduras.16,17 Parainema is a selection of the Sarchimor line T5296, released by IHCAFE in 2004.18 The Timor Hybrid explains these lines.

Processing#

The national marketing regulation defines both washed and natural green coffee, each at 12% moisture (basis not stated).19 No source consulted for this entry gives the share of Honduran coffee processed washed, natural or honey. Washed process and drying describe the steps.

Grades. Exporters sell grades such as Strictly High Grown (SHG) and High Grown (HG).6 The regulation defines these grades by bean colour and cup character, not by altitude.19 In 2020–21, SHG was 59.88% of the export volume and HG 30.26%.6

History#

Arrival. No primary record of coffee’s arrival in Honduras was consulted for this entry.

Second to bananas. In the 20th century, bananas dominated Honduran agriculture, followed to a lesser extent by coffee and sugar, according to the Library of Congress.27 Coffee surpassed bananas as the leading export earner in the mid-1970s, for a time: bananas were booming again in the 1990s.30 In 1992, banana sales were USD 287 million and coffee sales USD 148 million.27 Unlike bananas, coffee was grown by about 55,000 mostly small producers.27

The institute. IHCAFE’s organic law is Decree No. 83 of 9 December 1970.12 A reform in 2000 defines the institute as a private, non-state body of public interest.12

Growth. In FAO statistics, production rose from 21,450 t in 1961 to 119,784 t in 1990.2 It passed 343,000 t in 2012 and peaked at 478,831 t in 2018.2

Leaf rust. In January 2013 the government declared a national phytosanitary emergency over leaf rust.13 The decree cites an IHCAFE study that found 25% of the coffee area affected in 2012.13

Trade and institutions#

Exports. In calendar year 2025, Honduras exported coffee worth USD 2,329.1 million FOB, 6.5 million bags of 46 kg.8 The United States took 30.04%, Germany 19.81% and Belgium 10.98%.8 USDA estimates exports of 5.03 million bags of 60 kg for 2025/26.1

IHCAFE. The institute keeps the statistics, registers producers and runs six research and training centres.5,9 The marketing regulation is issued by the National Coffee Council (CONACAFE).19

Geographical indications. Café de Marcala has been registered since November 2005, the first denomination of origin in Honduras.20,5 A collective brand, Honduran Western Coffees (HWC), followed.5 Both names are protected in the EU under its association agreement with Central America.21 The United Kingdom registered Cafés del Occidente Hondureño on 31 December 2020.22

Competitions. Honduras joined the Cup of Excellence in 2004.5 Auctions and competitions follows its prices since 2005.23

On the futures market. Honduran coffee is deliverable against New York’s Coffee “C” contract at par.26 Differentials explains these premiums and discounts.

Production over time#

The FAO series runs from 1961. Production rose from 21,450 t in 1961 to 100,234 t in 1989.2 It rose by 72% between 1990 (119,784 t) and 2001 (205,545 t) (our calculation).2 After 343,403 t in 2012 it fell by 18.3% to 280,697 t in 2013, the leaf rust year (our calculation).2 It peaked at 477,580 t in 2017 and 478,831 t in 2018, and has varied between 324,015 t and 417,591 t since 2020.2

19601965197019751980198519901995200020052010201520202025050100150200250300350400450500Yearthousand t green coffeeHonduras2
Data table
SeriesYearthousand t green coffeeSource
Honduras196121.452
Honduras196227.9392
Honduras196329.0142
Honduras196429.2762
Honduras196532.1952
Honduras196633.5692
Honduras196735.0412
Honduras196836.5122
Honduras196937.9842
Honduras197039.4562
Honduras197140.9272
Honduras197242.3992
Honduras197341.7782
Honduras197445.3422
Honduras197546.8142
Honduras197648.2852
Honduras197749.7572
Honduras197859.7962
Honduras197972.5472
Honduras198064.2282
Honduras198175.3472
Honduras198272.422
Honduras198379.4742
Honduras198472.5452
Honduras198575.0912
Honduras198676.3182
Honduras198779.8772
Honduras198894.0462
Honduras1989100.2342
Honduras1990119.7842
Honduras1991101.892
Honduras1992111.662
Honduras1993110.4812
Honduras1994126.1822
Honduras1995132.42
Honduras1996148.832
Honduras1997162.6582
Honduras1998172.7722
Honduras1999157.4092
Honduras2000193.3092
Honduras2001205.5452
Honduras2002172.7272
Honduras2003175.2842
Honduras2004185.092
Honduras2005190.642
Honduras2006213.6362
Honduras2007236.3022
Honduras2008240.9482
Honduras2009231.2882
Honduras2010244.3352
Honduras2011284.3472
Honduras2012343.4032
Honduras2013280.6972
Honduras2014282.232
Honduras2015332.7472
Honduras2016366.5422
Honduras2017477.582
Honduras2018478.8312
Honduras2019472.4982
Honduras2020364.5522
Honduras2021417.5912
Honduras2022330.1112
Honduras2023384.3612
Honduras2024324.0152
Green coffee production of Honduras, 1961–2024, in thousand tonnes, from FAO statistics by calendar year. The fall from 2012 to 2013 follows the leaf rust epidemic; the peak was 478,831 t in 2018.2
Year t Year t Year t Year t
1961 21,4502 1977 49,7572 1993 110,4812 2009 231,2882
1962 27,9392 1978 59,7962 1994 126,1822 2010 244,3352
1963 29,0142 1979 72,5472 1995 132,4002 2011 284,3472
1964 29,2762 1980 64,2282 1996 148,8302 2012 343,4032
1965 32,1952 1981 75,3472 1997 162,6582 2013 280,6972
1966 33,5692 1982 72,4202 1998 172,7722 2014 282,2302
1967 35,0412 1983 79,4742 1999 157,4092 2015 332,7472
1968 36,5122 1984 72,5452 2000 193,3092 2016 366,5422
1969 37,9842 1985 75,0912 2001 205,5452 2017 477,5802
1970 39,4562 1986 76,3182 2002 172,7272 2018 478,8312
1971 40,9272 1987 79,8772 2003 175,2842 2019 472,4982
1972 42,3992 1988 94,0462 2004 185,0902 2020 364,5522
1973 41,7782 1989 100,2342 2005 190,6402 2021 417,5912
1974 45,3422 1990 119,7842 2006 213,6362 2022 330,1112
1975 46,8142 1991 101,8902 2007 236,3022 2023 384,3612
1976 48,2852 1992 111,6602 2008 240,9482 2024 324,0152

Values from 2018 are rounded to whole tonnes. The values for 1966–1972 rise by almost the same amount each year (our reading); the series does not say whether they are estimates.2

Yield. FAO’s average yield was 1,215 kg/ha in 2024.4 It was 277 kg/ha in 1961 and reached its highest value, 1,232 kg/ha, in 2015.4 Coffee yields compares origins.

The 2024 census. The national agricultural census counts 440,217.3 ha of coffee planted, 32,537.3 ha of young plantings and 407,680.0 ha in production.7 It gives 290,443.6 t of production, 0.7 t/ha, for the agricultural year April 2023 – March 2024.7 Coffee made up 4.2% of the output of permanent crops.7 The census does not state the form of coffee, and its results are preliminary.7

USDA’s recent series. In USDA’s tables, production was 4.80 million bags in 2021/22, 5.70 million in 2022/23, 5.05 million in 2023/24, 5.20 million in 2024/25 and 5.53 million in 2025/26.1 Exports were 4.65, 5.31, 4.72, 4.96 and 5.03 million bags in the same years.1 USDA uses an October–September marketing year; FAO uses calendar years.1,3

IHCAFE’s count. For the 2020–2021 harvest, IHCAFE reports a production of more than 7.9 million quintales.6 The report does not state the form of coffee for this figure.6

Farms by size#

IHCAFE’s table for 2023/24, reproduced by USDA, is the only official breakdown by farm size consulted.5 It does not define the size classes.5

Size class Producers registered with IHCAFE Area harvested (ha) Production (60-kg bags) Bags per ha (our calculation)
Small 87,1365 193,0925 2,502,3865 13.0
Medium 4,7465 62,4945 1,400,6135 22.4
Large 5395 24,5115 747,3555 30.5
Total (row sum, our calculation) 92,421 280,097 4,650,354 16.6

Medium and large producers harvest more per hectare than small ones (our calculation).5 The table’s production is 8% below USDA’s post estimate of 5.05 million bags for 2023/24 (our calculation).5 IHCAFE’s 2021–22 report puts small producers at 92%, medium at 7% and large at 1%.9 A 2015 review, citing the regional programme PROMECAFÉ, counts 94% of Honduran coffee producers as smallholders with less than 7 ha.15

Leaf rust, 2012–2013 and after#

Item Value Source
Emergency decree Issued 24 January 2013, published in La Gaceta No. 33,050 on 13 February 2013 La Gaceta13
Bodies named to coordinate control IHCAFE; agriculture ministry (SAG) through SENASA; OIRSA La Gaceta13
Coffee area affected (IHCAFE study, 2012) 25% of the coffee area La Gaceta13
Losses stated in the decree Up to 25% (base not stated) La Gaceta13
Area affected (2012/13) 70,000 ha of 280,000 ha; incidence 25% ICO, PROMECAFÉ figures14
Losses (2012/13) 1,303,333 bags of 60 kg; USD 230.0 million ICO, PROMECAFÉ figures14
Jobs lost (2012/13) 100,000 of 1,000,000 ICO, PROMECAFÉ figures14
FAO production, 2012 to 2013 343,403 t to 280,697 t (−18.3%, our calculation) FAO2
Forecast national incidence (to August 2025) 2.9% USDA 20255
Farms with low rust (April 2024 survey) 76% of farms sampled USDA 2025, IHCAFE surveys5

The ICO table’s columns are out of order in the text layer of its PDF. Our assignment matches the column totals and the 25% incidence in the report’s text.14 In the emergency, IHCAFE used its trust fund to give producers credit, according to a 2015 review.15

After the epidemic. USDA attributes the growth of the planted area forecast for 2025/26 to the introduction of Parainema, a rust-resistant variety.5 According to USDA, IHCAFE’s renewal programme, which USDA calls “Renew without stopping Production”, is to support 33,000 producers covering 250,000 blocks.5 For 2024/25, USDA reports forecast incidences of 5.9% in Intibucá, 4.2% in Santa Bárbara, 4.0% in Comayagua, 3.6% in Yoro, 3.18% in Cortés, 2.9% in Colón, 2.7% in Francisco Morazán and 2.2% in Lempira.5

Rust races. IHCAFE began a study of rust races in August 2016.10 It states that only two races, I and II, have been identified in Honduras.10 World Coffee Research records Lempira and IHCAFE 90 as confirmed susceptible in Honduras, and notes that a variety’s local performance may vary with the races present.16,17,18 Coffee leaf rust explains races and resistance.

Grades and the export bag#

Item Definition or value Source
Bag (saco) 46 kg of green coffee CONACAFE 201519
Strictly High Grown (SHG) Defined by bean colour (usually bluish green) and cup character; no altitude CONACAFE 201519
High Grown (HG) Defined by bean colour (usually dark green) and cup character; no altitude CONACAFE 201519
Washed green coffee 12% moisture (basis not stated) CONACAFE 201519
Export shares, 2020–21 SHG 59.88%, HG 30.26%, SL 9.58%, COR 0.28% of volume IHCAFE6
Exporters, 2020–21 78 companies IHCAFE6

The sources consulted do not expand the grade labels SL and COR. Grading and sorting compares altitude grades in other Central American countries.

Exports#

Year FOB value (USD million) Volume (million 46-kg bags)
2021 1,243.98 7.98
2022 1,404.98 5.98
2023 1,392.58 7.08
2024 1,218.28 6.08
2025 2,329.18 6.58

The national statistics office (INE) compiles these calendar-year figures from the central bank’s foreign trade system.8 The value in 2025 was 1.91 times that of 2024 for 8% more bags (our calculation).8 In 2025, the United States took 30.04%, Germany 19.81%, Belgium 10.98%, Canada 5.42% and Italy 4.73%.8 USDA’s chart for 2024/25 gives similar shares: the United States 29%, Germany 20% and Belgium 11%.5 For the 2020–2021 harvest, IHCAFE reports Europe taking 57% of the coffee.6

Domestic consumption. USDA’s post estimates domestic consumption at 335,000 bags of 60 kg in 2024/25, down from 385,000 in 2023/24.5

Geographical indications#

Item Café de Marcala Cafés del Occidente Hondureño (HWC)
Type Denomination of origin20 Collective brand (USDA); protected geographical indication in the UK register5,22
Registration in Honduras November 200520 Not stated in the sources consulted
EU protection Association Council Decision No 5/2014, 7 November 201421 Association Council Decision No 5/2014, 7 November 201421
UK protection Not found in the UK register Registered 31 December 202022
Area and altitude No official specification consulted; the ICO’s 2013 report names the coffee area of Marcala, La Paz14 No official specification consulted

In a 2009 study of Cup of Excellence auctions from 2004 to 2007, coffees from Marcala scored higher on average than coffees from other Honduran regions, and so fetched higher prices.20 The study could not confirm a price premium for Marcala’s reputation itself.20

Cup of Excellence#

Honduras joined the Cup of Excellence in 2004.5 According to USDA, about 1,200 producers enter regional contests before the national selection.5 The 2025 auction, held on 3 July 2025, had three categories, named “Honduras Traditional Varieties”, “Parainema Variety” and “Exotic Varieties”.23 Of its 33 lot entries, 23 came from Santa Bárbara, five from Lempira, two each from El Paraíso and La Paz, and one from Francisco Morazán (our count).23 Auctions and competitions gives the prices of eight Honduran auctions from 2005 to 2025.

Research#

IHCAFE runs six research and training centres.9,5

Centre Place Altitude Source
CIC Jesús Aguilar Paz (CIC-JAP) La Fe, Ilama, Santa Bárbara 750 m IHCAFE10
CIC José Virgilio Enamorado (CIC-JVE) Los Linderos, San Nicolás, Santa Bárbara 1,110 m IHCAFE10
CIC José Ángel Saavedra (CIC-JAS) Corquín, Copán 960 m IHCAFE10
CIC Carlos Alberto Bonilla (CIC-CAB) Campamento, Olancho 750 m IHCAFE10
CIC Las Lagunas San José, La Paz 1,440 m IHCAFE10
Centro Fredy Espinoza Mondragón El Paraíso, El Paraíso Not stated IHCAFE10

La Fe is the headquarters of the research and training programmes, according to IHCAFE.10

Climate risk#

A 2015 global model projects that climates suitable for arabica in Mesoamerica move from 400–2,000 m to 800–2,500 m by the 2050s.25 Honduras is among the countries that gain suitable area at 1,500–2,500 m, which may compensate in part for losses lower down.25 These are model projections, not forecasts by Coffearium.

USDA places the coffee regions at 1,000–1,600 m.5 Most of that band lies below the 1,500 m where the model finds gains (our reading).5,25

Reference values#

Parameter Value Source
Production, USDA 5.53 million 60-kg bags (2025/26); 6.03 million forecast (2026/27) USDA1
Production, FAO 324,015 t (2024); peak 478,831 t (2018) FAO2,3
Production, census 290,443.6 t (2023/24, preliminary; form not stated) INE7
Share of world output 3.09% (2025/26, USDA); 2.91% (2024, FAO); our calculation USDA1, FAO3
Coffee area 440,217.3 ha planted; 407,680.0 ha in production (2023/24) INE7
Yield 1,215 kg/ha (FAO, 2024) FAO4
Departments 15 of 18 IHCAFE6,11
Altitude 1,000–1,600 m; 61% of farms at about 1,189–1,585 m USDA5
Harvest October–March, by altitude IHCAFE6
Registered producers 92,421 (2023/24, our sum); 94.3% small IHCAFE via USDA5
Exports USD 2,329.1 million FOB; 6.5 million 46-kg bags (2025) INE, BCH data8
Main destinations United States 30.04%, Germany 19.81%, Belgium 10.98% (2025) INE8
Export bag 46 kg of green coffee CONACAFE19
Leaf rust, 2012/13 70,000 ha affected of 280,000 ha ICO14
Coffee “C” differential Par ICE26
IHCAFE organic law Decree No. 83 of 9 December 1970 La Gaceta12
Café de Marcala Registered November 2005; protected in the EU (Decision No 5/2014) Teuber 200920, EU21

Open questions#

  • Production by department. IHCAFE publishes department tables, but the copies consulted were images or scrambled text, and press summaries of them disagree with themselves.9 No department table is given here.
  • Size of the crop. USDA, FAO, the census and IHCAFE give different totals for similar years, and the census does not state the form of coffee (see Contested).1,3,5,7
  • Regions and departments. No official list of the departments in each of the six coffee regions was consulted; the Presidency’s 2016 release gives altitudes but no departments.24
  • Café de Marcala. Its official specification, registering resolution, area and altitude were not consulted. Presentations by its regulatory council give two different altitude ranges, so none is given here.
  • Variety shares. No census of varieties was consulted, so how far Parainema and other resistant lines have replaced Lempira and IHCAFE 90 is not documented here.5,10
  • Early history. No primary record of coffee’s arrival or of 19th-century plantings was consulted.
  • Hurricanes Eta and Iota (2020). No official figure for their damage to coffee could be accessed.

Key studies#

Avelino et al., 2015 – The rust crises in Colombia and Central America. Reviews the 2008–2013 epidemics and their drivers, low profitability and weather. For Honduras it records the state of emergency, IHCAFE’s credit from its trust fund for fungicides, and IHCAFE 90 and Lempira among the locally selected rust-resistant cultivars.

Food Security 7, 303–321 · doi:10.1007/s12571-015-0446-9

Teuber, 2009 – Café de Marcala and the value of origin. Analysed 119 Honduran Cup of Excellence lots from 2004 to 2007 with a hedonic price model. Marcala coffees scored higher and so sold higher, but no separate premium for the region’s reputation was found.

Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy 10(1), 131–148 · AgEcon Search

Ovalle-Rivera et al., 2015 – Arabica suitability under climate change. Modelled suitability for arabica in the main producing regions by the 2050s. In Mesoamerica the suitable climates move upwards, and Honduras gains suitable land at 1,500–2,500 m while losing it lower down.

PLoS ONE 10(4), e0124155 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124155

Contested
  • Size of the crop: USDA gives 5.53 million 60-kg bags for marketing year 2025/26 (October–September), which is 331,800 t (our calculation)1; FAO gives 324,015 t of green coffee for calendar year 20243; the 2024 agricultural census gives 290,443.6 t for the agricultural year April 2023 – March 2024, preliminary and without stating the form of coffee.7 For 2023/24, IHCAFE’s table by farm size sums to 4,650,354 bags of 60 kg (our calculation), against 5.05 million in USDA’s post estimate for the same year.5 The sources consulted do not explain the differences.
  • Coffee area: the 2024 census counts 440,217.3 ha planted and 407,680.0 ha in production (2023/24, preliminary)7; USDA’s post estimates 330,000 ha planted and 292,000 ha harvested for 2023/245; IHCAFE’s table by farm size gives harvested areas that sum to 280,097 ha for 2023/24 (our calculation)5; the ICO’s 2013 report, with figures from the regional programme PROMECAFÉ, gives 280,000 ha for 2012/1314; the 2013 emergency decree speaks of 400,000 manzanas.13
  • Number of producers: 92,421 producers registered with IHCAFE in 2023/24 (our sum of the three size classes)5; more than 120,000 families in IHCAFE’s 2020–21 report and in the agriculture minister’s speech of October 20256,28; more than 100,000 families on IHCAFE’s regions page (no year)11; more than 110,000 families in the 2013 decree13; about 55,000 mostly small producers in the Library of Congress country study of 1995.27 Registered producers and families are different counts.
  • Municipalities with coffee: 221 of 298 in IHCAFE’s 2020–21 report6; 210 of 298 on IHCAFE’s regions page and in USDA’s 2025 report.11,5 Both give 15 of 18 departments.
  • Number of coffee regions: a 2009 study states that Honduras had identified five regions (Agalta Tropical, Azul Meambar, Copán, Montecillos-Marcala and Opalaca)20; USDA (2025) and a 2016 release of the Presidency name six: Copán, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, El Paraíso and Agalta.5,24
  • Leaf rust damage in 2012–2013: the emergency decree of January 2013 cites an IHCAFE study of 2012 that found 25% of the coffee area affected, and losses of up to 25% (the decree does not say of what)13; the ICO’s May 2013 report, with PROMECAFÉ figures for 2012/13, gives 70,000 ha affected of 280,000 ha, an incidence of 25%, losses of 1,303,333 bags of 60 kg worth USD 230.0 million and 100,000 jobs lost (column assignment our reading of the table)14; in FAO’s series, production fell by 18.3% from 2012 to 2013 (our calculation).2
  • Share of small producers: 95% of producing families are small producers (under 50 quintales of green coffee) in IHCAFE’s 2020–21 report6; 92% in IHCAFE’s report for 2021–229; 94.3% of registered producers in IHCAFE’s 2023/24 table (our calculation)5; a 2015 review, citing PROMECAFÉ, counts 94% of Honduran coffee producers as smallholders with less than 7 ha.15 The definitions of “small” differ.
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Sources

  1. AUSDA Foreign Agricultural Service (2026). Coffee: World Markets and Trade (July 2026). United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service.Quoted passage: data; USDA FAS PSD tables, Honduras, marketing years 2021/22–2026/27; July 2026 edition.
  2. AFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); processed by Our World in Data (2026). Coffee bean production (FAOSTAT, Crops and livestock products, item Coffee, green). FAO via Our World in Data.Quoted passage: data; FAOSTAT green coffee production, Honduras, calendar years 1961–2024.
  3. AFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2026). FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products (item “Coffee, green”, element “Production”, 2024). FAO, licence CC BY 4.0.Quoted passage: data; FAOSTAT 2024 extract, 78 countries and territories.
  4. AFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); processed by Our World in Data (2026). Coffee bean yields; Coffee bean production (FAOSTAT, Crops and livestock products, item Coffee, green). FAO via Our World in Data.Quoted passage: data; FAOSTAT green coffee yield, Honduras, 1961–2024.
  5. AFiallos, J. (USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Tegucigalpa) (2025). Honduras: Coffee Annual (HO2025-0002). USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report.Quoted passage: data; USDA FAS post report, Tegucigalpa; Honduras marketing years 2023/24–2025/26; Table 1 from IHCAFE 2023/24.
  6. AInstituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE) (2022). Informe Estadístico 2020–2021. Instituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE).Quoted passage: data; IHCAFE statistics, Honduras, harvest 2020–2021.
  7. AInstituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Honduras (2026). Informe de Resultados Generales del Censo Agropecuario Nacional CAN 2024 (datos preliminares). INE, Tegucigalpa.Quoted passage: data; Honduras, national agricultural census 2024, preliminary; coffee area and production, agricultural year 2023/24.
  8. AInstituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Gerencia de Estadísticas Económicas (2026). Comportamiento de las exportaciones e importaciones del café en Honduras 2021–2025. INE, Tegucigalpa; data from the Banco Central de Honduras (SICE).Quoted passage: data; Honduras, coffee exports and imports, calendar years 2021–2025 (BCH data).
  9. A/BInstituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE) (2024). Memoria IHCAFE cosecha 2021-2022. IHCAFE, Tegucigalpa.Quoted passage: data; IHCAFE annual report, harvest 2021–2022.
  10. A/BInstituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE) (2026). Investigación y Desarrollo. IHCAFE (web page).Quoted passage: a description; IHCAFE research and training centres; commercial varieties; rust race study begun August 2016.
  11. A/BInstituto Hondureño del Café (IHCAFE) (2026). Regiones cafetaleras. IHCAFE (web page).Quoted passage: data; IHCAFE, national counts of municipalities, departments and families (no year).
  12. ACongreso Nacional de Honduras (2000). Decreto No. 213-2000 (reforma de la Ley Orgánica del Instituto Hondureño del Café). La Gaceta, Diario Oficial de la República de Honduras, No. 29,360, 22 December 2000 (copy in FAOLEX).Quoted passage: a definition; Honduras, reform of IHCAFE’s organic law, 2000; refers to Decree No. 83 of 9 December 1970.
  13. APresidencia de la República de Honduras (2013). Decreto ejecutivo de emergencia fitosanitaria nacional por la roya del café (Hemileia vastatrix). La Gaceta, Diario Oficial de la República de Honduras, No. 33,050, 13 February 2013 (copy in FAOLEX).Quoted passage: a definition; Honduras, national phytosanitary emergency for coffee leaf rust, January/February 2013.
  14. AInternational Coffee Organization (2013). Report on the outbreak of coffee leaf rust in Central America and Action Plan to combat the pest (ED 2157/13). International Coffee Organization, London.Quoted passage: data; Coffee leaf rust in PROMECAFÉ countries, crop year 2012/13.
  15. AAvelino, J.; Cristancho, M.; Georgiou, S.; Imbach, P.; Aguilar, L.; Bornemann, G.; Läderach, P.; Anzueto, F.; Hruska, A. J.; Morales, C.; et al. (2015). The coffee rust crises in Colombia and Central America (2008–2013): impacts, plausible causes and proposed solutions. Food Security 7, 303–321. doi:10.1007/s12571-015-0446-9 · other copiesQuoted passage: the authors’ own result; Review of the 2008–2013 rust epidemics in Colombia and Central America.
  16. AWorld Coffee Research Lempira. World Coffee Research, Arabica Coffee Varieties catalogue.
  17. A/BWorld Coffee Research IHCAFE 90. World Coffee Research, Arabica Coffee Varieties catalogue.
  18. A/BWorld Coffee Research Parainema. World Coffee Research, Arabica Coffee Varieties catalogue.
  19. AConsejo Nacional del Café (CONACAFE), Honduras (2015). Acuerdo CONACAFE S.O. No. 136/2015: Reglamento para la Comercialización de Café. CONACAFE, Tegucigalpa; copy hosted by IHCAFE.Quoted passage: a definition; Honduras, coffee marketing regulation 2015, definitions of grades, bag and moisture.
  20. ATeuber, R. (2009). Café de Marcala – Honduras’ GI Approach to Achieving Reputation in the Coffee Market. Estey Centre Journal of International Law and Trade Policy 10(1), 131–148.Quoted passage: the authors’ own result; Hedonic price analysis of Honduran Cup of Excellence auction lots, 2004–2007.
  21. AEU–Central America Association Council (2015). Decisión No 5/2014 del Consejo de Asociación UE-Centroamérica, de 7 de noviembre de 2014, sobre las indicaciones geográficas que deben incluirse en el anexo XVIII del Acuerdo [2015/1219]. Diario Oficial de la Unión Europea L 196/59, 24 July 2015 (copy on boe.es).Quoted passage: a definition; EU–Central America Association Agreement, Annex XVIII, Part B.
  22. AUK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (2021). Cafés del Occidente Hondureño (H W C). GOV.UK, protected food and drink names register.
  23. AAlliance for Coffee Excellence (2025). Honduras – Cup of Excellence auction results, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2023 and 2025. Alliance for Coffee Excellence.
  24. A/BHonduras Presidency (2016). The 6 Regions of Honduran Coffee Give You 6 Reasons to Love it. Cision PR Newswire, Tegucigalpa, 25 October 2016.Quoted passage: a description; Presidency of Honduras, six coffee regions with altitude ranges, October 2016.
  25. AOvalle-Rivera, O.; Läderach, P.; Bunn, C.; Obersteiner, M.; Schroth, G. (2015). Projected Shifts in Coffea arabica Suitability among Major Global Producing Regions Due to Climate Change. PLoS ONE 10(4), e0124155. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0124155 · other copiesQuoted passage: the authors’ own result; Global suitability model, 2050s; Mesoamerica section, Honduras named.
  26. A(2026). Coffee C® Futures: contract specifications. ICE Futures U.S..
  27. AMerrill, T. (ed.), Federal Research Division, Library of Congress (1995). Honduras: A Country Study (Traditional crops; Growth and structure of the economy). GPO for the Library of Congress, Washington; text as reproduced at countrystudies.us.Quoted passage: a description; Library of Congress country study of Honduras, 1995; agriculture and economy chapters.
  28. ASuazo, L. (Secretaría de Agricultura y Ganadería, Honduras) (2025). Speech by H.E. Ms Laura Suazo, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Honduras, opening ceremony of the 140th Session of the International Coffee Council (ICC 140-5). International Coffee Organization.
  29. A/BFairtrade International (2022). Fairtrade Living Income Reference Price for Coffee from Honduras (explanatory note). Fairtrade International (listed as 2022).
  30. AMerrill, T. (ed.), Federal Research Division, Library of Congress (1995). Honduras: A Country Study (Growth and structure of the economy). GPO for the Library of Congress, Washington; text as reproduced at countrystudies.us.

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