Origin · Country profile

Mexico

An arabica-led origin with a robusta share, grown mainly by smallholders in Chiapas, Veracruz, Puebla and Oaxaca, harvested from November to April, with denominations of origin for Café Veracruz and Café Chiapas.

Across the chain: History

Source-checked· Last source-checked 4 Nov 2026· Prepared with AI assistance· 34 sources (30 tier A)· 4 contested· Updated 4 Nov 2026· Literature last searched 4 Nov 2026

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Contents

Mexico produced 4.08 million bags of 60 kg in 2025/26, 12% of them robusta (our calculation), by the count of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).¹
In the agriculture ministry’s statistics for 2021 (preliminary), Chiapas, Veracruz and Puebla grew 80.6% of Mexico’s 944,413 t of coffee cherry (our calculation).³³
Mexico has more than 500,000 coffee producers, mainly small and many of them indigenous, according to the agriculture ministry’s 2019 operating rules.⁸
The state coffee institute INMECAFE, created in 1958, was liquidated from 1989; the process ended in 1993 with the creation of the Mexican Coffee Council.^15,16
Café Veracruz (2000) and Café Chiapas (2003) are protected denominations of origin, declared by the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI).^9,10

Snapshot#

Mexico grows mostly arabica (C. arabica) and some robusta (C. canephora).¹ The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) puts the 2025/26 crop at 4.08 million bags of 60 kg, of which 500,000 bags are robusta.¹ That is 2.28% of the world total of 178.8 million bags (our calculation).¹ For 2026/27, USDA forecasts 4.14 million bags.¹

In the statistics of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Mexico produced 194,470 t of green coffee in 2024, a value FAO marks as estimated.³ That ranks 12th among 78 countries and is 1.75% of their total (our calculation).³ Its national average yield was 295 kg/ha in 2024.⁴

Most coffee comes from the south and centre of the country, above all Chiapas, Veracruz and Puebla.^33,6 Mexico also consumes and imports large volumes: USDA counts 3.16 million bags of domestic consumption and 2.03 million bags of green coffee imports in 2025/26.¹

Where coffee grows#

Coffee grows in 13 states in the centre and south of Mexico, according to USDA’s 2022 report.⁶ The agriculture ministry’s 2019 operating rules list the same number of coffee states, from Chiapas to the Estado de México.⁸ The ministry’s statistics service (SIAP) lists 14, including Morelos with 28 ha.³³

The main states. In SIAP’s preliminary figures for 2021, Mexico produced 944,413 t of coffee cherry.³³ Chiapas grew 40.8% of it, Veracruz 24.4% and Puebla 15.5%.³³ Oaxaca followed with 9.1%.³³ Oaxaca has the third-largest planted area but harvested only 0.76 t of cherry per hectare, against 2.24 t in Puebla (our calculation).³³ The full table is under Production by state.

darker = higher (600, 1,400 and 2,400 m)dashed: state bordersRelief: AWS Terrain Tiles, 0.2° means; borders and towns: Natural Earth; states: geoBoundaries

Interactive relief map of central and southern Mexico. Layers: coffee states with the agriculture ministry’s planted area, harvested area and coffee cherry production for 2021 (preliminary); the Café Veracruz (whole state) and Café Chiapas (twelve regions, above 800 m) denominations of origin, hatched by state; places in the history of coffee and two research sites; and leaf rust, from the first record in the Soconusco to the 2013 campaign.^{33,7,9,10,24,17,19}

Cherry, not green coffee. Mexico’s official statistics count coffee cherry (café cereza), while USDA and FAO count green coffee, so the figures cannot be compared directly.^33,1,3 For 2025, the state statistics office of Chiapas reports 391,690.56 t of cherry from 241,803.77 ha harvested.⁷ Chiapas ranked second nationally by the value of its coffee cherry.⁷

Altitude. According to USDA, citing the agriculture ministry, 35% of production is high-grown arabica at 899 m or higher (source: 2,950 ft; our conversion).⁶ Another 44% grows at 600–899 m (source: 1,970–2,950 ft).⁶ The report does not describe the remaining 21% (our calculation).⁶ The Café Chiapas denomination covers coffee above 800 m, about 75% of the state’s coffee area.⁹

Section from the Pico de Orizaba over Coscomatepec and Huatusco, past the Zentla variety-trial site (800 m), to the Gulf coast at the port of Veracruz. Shaded: 600–1,400 m, the producing zone named in the Café Veracruz application; at the right: USDA’s national classes of 600–899 m (44% of production) and 899 m and higher (35%). Dashed: 1,500 m, above which a 2015 model finds Mexico gaining suitability by the 2050s. Vertical scale exaggerated about 10 times.^11,6,24,28

Climate and harvest#

Coffee is typically harvested from November to April, according to USDA’s 2022 report and SIAP.^6,33 From June to October there is almost no harvest.³³ Trade contacts told USDA that changes in climate shift this window from year to year.⁶ Harvest calendars compares these months with other origins.

Robusta in the lowlands. Robusta grows at lower elevations, in full sun, and needs less maintenance than arabica, according to USDA.⁶ A 2018 study also describes robusta plantings with little or no shade.²⁰

The coffee year. USDA uses an October–September marketing year for Mexico, in its world tables and in its post reports from Mexico City.^1,5,6 Crop year and coffee year explains the different calendars.

Farms and people#

Mexico has more than 500,000 coffee producers, according to the agriculture ministry’s 2019 operating rules.⁸ The same rules describe them as mainly small, many of indigenous origin, and with high levels of poverty.⁸ No census count of producers was consulted.

Small farms. About 90% of growers are small-scale, according to USDA.^5,6 Its 2022 report puts their farms at under 2 ha; its 2024 report gives an average of 2.9 ha (see Contested).^6,5 A 2024 study of production costs, cited by USDA, found an average producer age of 54 years.⁵

Cooperatives. Chiapas has over 400 cooperatives and 178,000 producers, according to USDA.⁵ In the Huatusco region of Veracruz, a 2018 study, citing a 2011 state plan, counts 12,822 coffee growers and describes cooperatives as their preferred form of organisation.¹⁶

Public programmes. In 2024 the federal programme Producción para el Bienestar paid coffee producers MXN 7,300 each (USD 429, 2024).⁵ The Sembrando Vida programme encourages planting coffee together with other crops.⁵

Varieties#

USDA lists Oro Azteca, Catimors, Sarchimor, Bourbon, Marsellesa, Typica and Caturra among the varieties grown.⁵ New plantings use pest-resistant varieties such as Oro Azteca, Marsellesa, Costa Rica 95 and Sarchimor.⁶ No variety census was consulted, so the share of each variety is not known.

Bred in Mexico. World Coffee Research catalogues Oro Azteca as a cross of Timor Hybrid 832/1 with Caturra, a Catimor.²¹ The national research institute INIFAP released it for Mexican production in 1995.²¹ Costa Rica 95 has the same parentage but was bred in Costa Rica; World Coffee Research records it as confirmed susceptible to leaf rust in Costa Rica.²² The Timor Hybrid explains these lines.

Older varieties. A variety trial in Zentla, Veracruz, compared 20 arabica cultivars, among them several Garnica lines, Pluma Hidalgo and two Bourbon types.²⁴ The sources consulted do not document the origin of Garnica.

Robusta#

Robusta is 12.3% of USDA’s 2025/26 production (our calculation).¹ USDA’s post reports give about 14% (2022) and 13–15% (2024).^6,5 It grows in the lower parts of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Puebla, with Chiapas the leading producer.⁵ In Veracruz, robusta is grown for soluble coffee, according to USDA.⁶ USDA counts 1.62 million bags of soluble exports in 2025/26.¹

Processing#

Most output is washed arabica of commercial grade, according to World Coffee Research.²³ The Café Veracruz declaration names the “deep-rooted tradition” of fermenting freshly pulped coffee as part of the region’s character.¹⁰ An informative appendix to the official standard for Café Chiapas describes the coffee as processed by the washed method; the standard itself does not require it.¹² No source consulted gives national shares of washed, natural and honey coffee. Washed process and fermentation describe the steps.

History#

Arrival. Coffee entered Mexico through the district of Córdoba, in Veracruz, in 1790, according to a 2004 study that cites an earlier book.¹⁸ In Chiapas, Italian and German planters introduced it in 1846, according to a 2020 study.¹⁷ No primary record of either date was consulted.

Foreign estates. In 1927, foreigners produced 79% of the coffee of Chiapas, according to the same 2020 study.¹⁷

INMECAFE. The state created the Mexican Coffee Institute (INMECAFE) in 1958.^16,17 It took part in processing, carried out coffee research and organised producers.¹⁵ On 3 July 1989 the members of the International Coffee Organization (ICO) agreed to end the coffee quota system.¹⁵ In the same year Mexico began to liquidate INMECAFE; the process ended in 1993 with the creation of the Mexican Coffee Council.¹⁵

Leaf rust. Coffee leaf rust appeared in Mexico in 1981, in the Soconusco area of Chiapas near the Guatemalan border.¹⁹ A severe epidemic began in 2012 (see Leaf rust, 2012–2013 and after).^19,20

A new coffee law. The Ley de Desarrollo Sustentable de la Cafeticultura was published on 19 December 2025.^26,27 It regulates and promotes the production, distribution, processing and marketing of coffee.²⁶

Trade and institutions#

Exports. USDA’s post forecast exports of 2.7 million bags of 60 kg for 2024/25.⁵ The United States is the top destination for Mexican green, roasted and soluble coffee.⁵ USDA’s July 2026 tables give no separate row for Mexico’s total exports.¹

Institutions. The 2025 coffee law creates a National Commission for the Development of Mexican Coffee Growing as a forum for dialogue.²⁶ It also refers to the National Coffee Product System Committee (Comité Nacional Sistema Producto Café).²⁶ The trade association AMECAFÉ registers its members for each coffee cycle and runs a national quality competition, according to its website.³²

Geographical indications. Café Veracruz has been a denomination of origin since a declaration published on 15 November 2000.^10,34 Café Chiapas followed on 27 August 2003.^9,12 Both appear among the Mexican geographical indications in the EU–Mexico trade text of 2018.¹³

Competitions. Mexico holds a national Cup of Excellence competition and auction.^29,30 Auctions and competitions explains the format.

On the futures market. Mexican coffee is deliverable against New York’s Coffee “C” contract at par.³¹ Differentials explains these premiums and discounts.

Production over time#

The FAO series runs from 1961. Production rose from 126,616 t in 1961 to its peak of 440,000 t in 1990.² Between 1991 and 2004 it varied between 277,372 t and 374,153 t, then declined.² From 246,121 t in 2012 it fell by 38.4% to 151,714 t in 2016, the lowest value since 1963 (our calculation).² By 2024 it had recovered to 194,470 t, 28.2% above 2016 (our calculation).²

Data table

Series	Year	thousand t green coffee	Source
Mexico	1961	126.616	2
Mexico	1962	139.794	2
Mexico	1963	137.069	2
Mexico	1964	156.477	2
Mexico	1965	162.149	2
Mexico	1966	183.005	2
Mexico	1967	224.505	2
Mexico	1968	212.656	2
Mexico	1969	172.734	2
Mexico	1970	185.293	2
Mexico	1971	187.495	2
Mexico	1972	203.462	2
Mexico	1973	221.718	2
Mexico	1974	220.767	2
Mexico	1975	228.264	2
Mexico	1976	212.2	2
Mexico	1977	182.01	2
Mexico	1978	241.602	2
Mexico	1979	220.191	2
Mexico	1980	220.04	2
Mexico	1981	262.904	2
Mexico	1982	251.768	2
Mexico	1983	307.948	2
Mexico	1984	239.87	2
Mexico	1985	260.197	2
Mexico	1986	374.828	2
Mexico	1987	336.18	2
Mexico	1988	423	2
Mexico	1989	343.44	2
Mexico	1990	440	2
Mexico	1991	334.33	2
Mexico	1992	359.665	2
Mexico	1993	335.627	2
Mexico	1994	324.5	2
Mexico	1995	324.526	2
Mexico	1996	374.153	2
Mexico	1997	368.315	2
Mexico	1998	277.372	2
Mexico	1999	302.119	2
Mexico	2000	338.17	2
Mexico	2001	302.996	2
Mexico	2002	313.027	2
Mexico	2003	310.861	2
Mexico	2004	312.413	2
Mexico	2005	294.364	2
Mexico	2006	279.635	2
Mexico	2007	268.565	2
Mexico	2008	260.442	2
Mexico	2009	264.472	2
Mexico	2010	245.271	2
Mexico	2011	237.056	2
Mexico	2012	246.121	2
Mexico	2013	231.596	2
Mexico	2014	214.667	2
Mexico	2015	188.934	2
Mexico	2016	151.714	2
Mexico	2017	153.777	2
Mexico	2018	158.308	2
Mexico	2019	165.712	2
Mexico	2020	175.555	2
Mexico	2021	174.341	2
Mexico	2022	188.71	2
Mexico	2023	194.94	2
Mexico	2024	194.47	2

Green coffee production of Mexico, 1961–2024, in thousand tonnes, from FAO statistics by calendar year. The peak was 440,000 t in 1990; the low of 151,714 t in 2016 followed the leaf rust epidemic.²

Year	t	Year	t	Year	t	Year	t
1961	126,616²	1977	182,010²	1993	335,627²	2009	264,472²
1962	139,794²	1978	241,602²	1994	324,500²	2010	245,271²
1963	137,069²	1979	220,191²	1995	324,526²	2011	237,056²
1964	156,477²	1980	220,040²	1996	374,153²	2012	246,121²
1965	162,149²	1981	262,904²	1997	368,315²	2013	231,596²
1966	183,005²	1982	251,768²	1998	277,372²	2014	214,667²
1967	224,505²	1983	307,948²	1999	302,119²	2015	188,934²
1968	212,656²	1984	239,870²	2000	338,170²	2016	151,714²
1969	172,734²	1985	260,197²	2001	302,996²	2017	153,777²
1970	185,293²	1986	374,828²	2002	313,027²	2018	158,308²
1971	187,495²	1987	336,180²	2003	310,861²	2019	165,712²
1972	203,462²	1988	423,000²	2004	312,413²	2020	175,555²
1973	221,718²	1989	343,440²	2005	294,364²	2021	174,341²
1974	220,767²	1990	440,000²	2006	279,635²	2022	188,710²
1975	228,264²	1991	334,330²	2007	268,565²	2023	194,940²
1976	212,200²	1992	359,665²	2008	260,442²	2024	194,470²

Values given with decimals in the source (2017–2021) are rounded to whole tonnes. FAO marks the 2024 value as estimated.^2,3

Yield. FAO’s average yield was 295 kg/ha in 2024.⁴ It was 412 kg/ha in 1961, reached its highest value, 749 kg/ha, in 1990, and its lowest, 235 kg/ha, in 2016.⁴ USDA’s post forecast 5.1 bags of 60 kg per hectare for 2024/25, which is 306 kg/ha (our calculation).⁵ Coffee yields compares origins.

USDA’s recent series. In USDA’s July 2026 tables, production was 3.74 million bags in 2021/22, 3.55 million in 2022/23, 3.86 million in 2023/24, 3.93 million in 2024/25 and 4.08 million in 2025/26.¹ Robusta made up 540,000, 545,000, 500,000, 340,000 and 500,000 bags of these.¹ USDA forecasts 4.14 million bags, 560,000 of them robusta, for 2026/27.¹

Area. USDA’s post forecast 700,000 ha planted and 660,000 ha harvested for 2024/25.⁵ The 2003 Café Chiapas declaration gave a national coffee area of 761,165 ha, without a year.⁹

Production by state#

The agriculture ministry’s statistics service (SIAP) publishes planted area, harvested area and production of coffee cherry by state.³³ The most recent complete table consulted is for 2021, a preliminary close of the cycle, which ended in May.³³ Newer bulletins of the same series could not be accessed or give only early-season values.

Data table

	thousand t coffee cherry (2021, preliminary)	Source
Chiapas	384,937	33
Veracruz	229,998	33
Puebla	146,164	33
Oaxaca	85,663	33
Guerrero	38,961	33
Hidalgo	29,268	33
Nayarit	10,390	33
San Luis Potosí	9,803	33
Jalisco	4,776	33
Colima	3,344	33
México	590	33
Tabasco	421	33
Querétaro	60	33
Morelos	39	33

Coffee cherry production by state, Mexico, 2021 (preliminary), in thousand tonnes, with names as in the source. Data: SIAP, agriculture ministry.³³

State	Planted area (ha)	Harvested area (ha)	Production (t cherry)	Share of production	t cherry per ha (our calculation)
Chiapas	253,458³³	239,266³³	384,937³³	40.8%³³	1.61
Veracruz	145,211³³	126,544³³	229,998³³	24.4%³³	1.82
Puebla	70,674³³	65,145³³	146,164³³	15.5%³³	2.24
Oaxaca	134,113³³	112,696³³	85,663³³	9.1%³³	0.76
Guerrero	45,549³³	40,489³³	38,961³³	4.1%³³	0.96
Hidalgo	23,070³³	23,015³³	29,268³³	3.1%³³	1.27
Nayarit	16,167³³	11,916³³	10,390³³	1.1%³³	0.87
San Luis Potosí	16,149³³	16,146³³	9,803³³	1.0%³³	0.61
Jalisco	3,483³³	3,483³³	4,776³³	0.5%³³	1.37
Colima	2,720³³	2,718³³	3,344³³	0.4%³³	1.23
México (state)	531³³	531³³	590³³	0.06%³³	1.11
Tabasco	358³³	358³³	421³³	0.04%³³	1.18
Querétaro	199³³	199³³	60³³	0.01%³³	0.30
Morelos	28³³	27³³	39³³	0.004%³³	1.44
Total	711,708³³	642,530³³	944,413³³	100%³³	1.47

Shares are as printed by SIAP; yields per hectare are our calculation.³³ The state rows add up to the printed totals within 3 units, which the table note puts down to rounding (our calculation).³³ For comparison, the same table gives 958,363 t from 636,004 ha harvested for 2020, also counted to May, so 2021 was 1.5% lower.³³ Chiapas, Veracruz and Oaxaca have the largest planted areas.³³ Puebla harvested 58% of Oaxaca’s area but grew 1.7 times as much cherry (our calculation).³³

USDA’s forecast by state. USDA’s post in Mexico City published its own table for 2024/25, in 60-kg bags of green coffee, without naming a source.⁵

State	Area harvested (ha)	Yield (60-kg bags per ha)	Production (60-kg bags)	Share (our calculation)
Chiapas	241,000⁵	6.2⁵	1,494,200⁵	38.4%
Veracruz	138,000⁵	7.3⁵	1,007,400⁵	25.9%
Puebla	70,000⁵	10.1⁵	707,000⁵	18.1%
Oaxaca	120,000⁵	3.0⁵	360,000⁵	9.2%
Guerrero	30,000⁵	3.6⁵	108,000⁵	2.8%
Hidalgo	22,000⁵	4.4⁵	96,800⁵	2.5%
San Luis Potosí	15,000⁵	3.2⁵	48,000⁵	1.2%
Nayarit	16,000⁵	2.6⁵	41,600⁵	1.1%
Jalisco	3,500⁵	5.2⁵	15,600⁵	0.4%
Colima	2,750⁵	4.6⁵	12,880⁵	0.3%
México (state)	531⁵	4.1⁵	1,894⁵	<0.1%
Tabasco	358⁵	4.5⁵	1,608⁵	<0.1%
Querétaro	199⁵	2.1⁵	378⁵	<0.1%
Morelos	24⁵	5.4⁵	129⁵	<0.1%
Total as printed	658,862⁵	5.03⁵	3,895,646⁵	–

The rows sum to 3,895,489 bags and 659,362 ha, slightly different from the printed totals (our calculation).⁵ Shares are of the row sum. The same report’s text gives Chiapas 31%, Veracruz 27.8% and Puebla 25%, citing no source (see Contested).⁵

Chiapas in 2025. For 2025, the agriculture ministry’s yearbook, as reported by the Chiapas statistics office, gives 243,723.77 ha planted and 241,803.77 ha harvested.⁷ Production was 391,690.56 t of coffee cherry, at 1.62 t/ha.⁷ Coffee cherry was third among the state’s crops by value, with 8.87% of it.⁷ The 2021 SIAP values for Chiapas are close: 253,458 ha planted and 384,937 t.³³

Leaf rust, 2012–2013 and after#

Item	Value	Source
First record in Mexico	1981, Soconusco, Chiapas, near the border with Guatemala	SENASICA 2013¹⁹
Start of the epidemic	Atypical outbreak from 2012 in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas; abnormal humidity and temperature in September–October 2012	Libert-Amico and Paz-Pellat 2018²⁰; SENASICA 2013¹⁹
Incidence, Soconusco, 2012	74%; 36% of coffee trees defoliated	Venegas Sandoval et al. 2020¹⁷
Emergency campaign, Chiapas	4,455 ha of 308 producers sampled; defoliation of 26.5% and 34%	SENASICA 2013¹⁹
Fungicide	Copper oxychloride sprayed on 45,112 ha of 20,390 producers	SENASICA 2013¹⁹
FAO production, 2012 to 2016	246,121 t to 151,714 t (−38.4%, our calculation)	FAO²
Renewal	Plan Integral de Atención del Café; 210 million certified plants planted in 2016 (on 70,000–80,000 ha)	Libert-Amico and Paz-Pellat 2018²⁰
Chiapas	55 million rust-resistant plants announced by the state government in 2014	Libert-Amico and Paz-Pellat 2018²⁰

The official response. In early 2013 the plant health service SENASICA described an emergency campaign against leaf rust in Chiapas.¹⁹ It sampled farms in the Soconusco, sprayed copper oxychloride and trained producers.¹⁹ A 2013 campaign then extended the work to Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla and Veracruz.¹⁹ The 2019 operating rules link the fall in coffee production to the loss of plantations, made worse by the re-emergence of leaf rust and other diseases.⁸

Imports. In 2015/16 Mexico imported more coffee than it produced, according to a 2018 study.²⁰ No ICO figures for Mexico’s rust losses were found; the ICO’s 2013 rust report covers Central America excluding Mexico.

Since then. In USDA’s 2024 report, the impact of rust had declined where producers had switched to rust-resistant varieties.⁵ Coffee leaf rust explains races and resistance.

Exports#

Item	Value	Source
Exports, post forecast 2024/25	2.7 million 60-kg bags	USDA 2024⁵
Main market	United States, for green, roasted and soluble coffee	USDA 2024⁵
Soluble exports, USDA tables	695,000 (2021/22) to 1.62 million bags (2025/26); 1.63 million forecast (2026/27)	USDA¹
Origins of imports (2021)	Brazil, Vietnam, Nicaragua, Colombia and the United States	SIAP³³
Green coffee imports, USDA tables	1.81 million (2021/22) to 2.03 million bags (2025/26); 2.10 million forecast (2026/27)	USDA¹
Domestic consumption, USDA tables	2.85 million (2021/22) to 3.16 million bags (2025/26)	USDA¹
Coffee “C” contract	Deliverable at par	ICE³¹

USDA’s tables include Mexico’s bean exports in “Other”, so no total export series is given here.¹ Soluble exports more than doubled between 2021/22 and 2025/26 (our calculation).¹

Geographical indications#

Item	Café Veracruz	Café Chiapas
Type	Denomination of origin (IMPI)¹⁰	Denomination of origin (IMPI)⁹
Applicant	Consejo Veracruzano del Café, application of 28 March 2000¹⁰	Comisión para el Desarrollo y Fomento del Café de Chiapas (COMCAFE), 2001⁹
Declaration	Signed 6 November 2000, published 15 November 2000^10,34	Signed 12 August 2003, published 27 August 2003^9,12
Legal area	The State of Veracruz¹⁰	Twelve regions of Chiapas and their municipalities⁹
Altitude	None in the declaration; the application named 600–1,400 m¹¹; the official standard, above 750 m³⁴	Above 800 m^9,12
Product	Green or roasted coffee¹⁰	Green or roasted and ground C. arabica⁹
Official standard	NOM-149-SCFI-2001: C. arabica, grown above 750 m³⁴	NOM-169-SCFI-2007: C. arabica, above 800 m; washed processing described in an informative appendix¹²
EU	Listed in the 2018 agreement-in-principle text¹³	Listed in the 2018 agreement-in-principle text¹³
United Kingdom	Not found	Not found

Café Chiapas regions. The declaration names the regions Ocozocoautla, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Copainalá, Comitán, Ángel Albino Corzo, Pichucalco, Bochil, Palenque, Ocosingo, Yajalón, Motozintla and Tapachula.⁹ It gives the coffee area of Chiapas as 231,329 ha, 30.39% of a national 761,165 ha.⁹

Café Veracruz regions. The application named ten producing regions, among them Atzalan, Misantla, Coatepec, Córdoba, Huatusco and Zongolica.¹¹ The declaration itself sets the whole state as the area.¹⁰

In the EU. The European Commission’s 2018 text of the trade agreement in principle lists both names among 20 Mexican geographical indications.¹³ The EU and Mexico signed the Interim Agreement on Trade on 22 May 2026, and the Council approved its conclusion on 14 July 2026.¹⁴ The final list of protected names in that agreement was not consulted.

Cup of Excellence#

The 2025 auction was held on 24 June 2025, with 30 winning coffees.²⁹ The highest score, 91.36, went to a washed Geisha from Finca Santa Cruz in Chiapas, split into lot 1A, sold at USD 71.20 per lb, and lot 1B, at USD 73.00 per lb (2025).²⁹ The 2026 auction was held on 28 July 2026.³⁰ Its highest score, 91.33, again went to Finca Santa Cruz, for a natural experimental Gesha; lot 1A sold at USD 94.70 per lb (2026).³⁰ Of the 33 lots in 2026, 23 came from Veracruz and five from Chiapas (our count).³⁰ Auctions and competitions compares prices across countries.

Organic and shade-grown coffee#

Mexico is a global leader in shade-grown and organic coffee, according to USDA.⁵ The first organic certification of a Mexican coffee went to Finca Irlanda in Chiapas in 1967, according to a 2020 study.¹⁷ No source consulted gives the current organic area or volume. Shade and agroforestry and Certifications and labels cover the systems and labels.

Research#

The national institute for forestry, agricultural and livestock research (INIFAP) bred Oro Azteca.²¹ Its Campo Experimental Rosario Izapa, near Tapachula in Chiapas, works on coffee and cacao.²⁵ According to World Coffee Research, Mexico joined its Innovea network in 2023 through the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo.²³ With the Instituto de Ecología (INECOL), Mexico hosted three sites of its International Multilocation Variety Trial.²³

A variety trial in Veracruz. A 2016 study followed 20 arabica cultivars over five harvests (1998–2003) in Zentla, Veracruz, at 800 m.²⁴ Pacamara gave the lowest cherry yield but the highest share of large beans for “European preparation”.²⁴ Catuaí Amarillo gave the highest yield, 23.8 kg of cherry per plant.²⁴

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.²⁸ Mexico has the largest loss of suitable area in the region, 29%.²⁸ It gains suitability at 1,500–2,500 m.²⁸ These are model projections, not forecasts by Coffearium.

USDA places 44% of Mexican production at 600–899 m (our conversion).⁶ Most of that band lies below 800 m, the lower limit of suitable climates the model projects for the 2050s (our reading).^6,28

Reference values#

Parameter	Value	Source
Production, USDA	4.08 million 60-kg bags (2025/26); 4.14 million forecast (2026/27)	USDA¹
Production, FAO	194,470 t (2024, estimated); peak 440,000 t (1990)	FAO^2,3
Share of world output	2.28% (2025/26, USDA); 1.75% (2024, FAO); our calculation	USDA¹, FAO³
Robusta	12.3% of production (2025/26, our calculation); 13–15% (USDA post, 2024)	USDA^1,5
Coffee area	700,000 ha planted; 660,000 ha harvested (2024/25 forecast)	USDA 2024⁵
Yield	295 kg/ha (FAO, 2024)	FAO⁴
Production, SIAP	944,413 t coffee cherry from 642,530 ha harvested (2021, preliminary)	SIAP³³
Main states	Chiapas 40.8%, Veracruz 24.4%, Puebla 15.5%, Oaxaca 9.1% of cherry (2021, preliminary)	SIAP³³
Altitude	35% of production at ≥899 m; 44% at 600–899 m (our conversion)	USDA 2022⁶
Harvest	November to April	USDA 2022⁶, SIAP³³
Producers	More than 500,000	SADER 2019⁸
Soluble exports	1.62 million 60-kg bags (2025/26)	USDA¹
Coffee “C” differential	Par	ICE³¹
Café Veracruz	Denomination of origin, DOF 15 November 2000	IMPI¹⁰, NOM-149³⁴
Café Chiapas	Denomination of origin, DOF 27 August 2003; above 800 m	IMPI⁹, NOM-169¹²
Coffee law	Ley de Desarrollo Sustentable de la Cafeticultura, DOF 19 December 2025	Congreso²⁶

Open questions#

Production by state. The most recent complete SIAP table by state consulted is for 2021 (preliminary); SIAP’s closing statistics for 2022–2025 by state could not be accessed, and only Chiapas has an official 2025 value here.^33,7
Cherry and green coffee. SIAP counts coffee cherry, USDA and FAO green coffee; no official conversion factor for Mexico was consulted, so the series are not converted.^33,1,3
Size of the crop. USDA’s 4.08 million bags for 2025/26 is 244,800 t (our calculation), far above FAO’s estimated 194,470 t for 2024 (see Contested).^1,3
Producers. The figure of more than 500,000 producers has no year or method in the source, and no census count or indigenous share was consulted.⁸
EU protection. The final list of Mexican geographical indications in the 2026 Interim Agreement on Trade was not consulted.^13,14
Processing and organic shares. No source consulted gives national shares of washed, natural or honey coffee, or the organic area.
Variety shares. No variety census was consulted; the origin of Garnica is not documented here.
Early history. The dates 1790 (Veracruz) and 1846 (Chiapas) come from secondary accounts; no primary record was consulted.^18,17

Key studies#

Venegas Sandoval et al., 2020 – Crises in Chiapas coffee. Traces coffee in Chiapas from its introduction in 1846 through the foreign estates, INMECAFE, the 1989 price crisis and the 2012 leaf rust epidemic. It uses the idea of adaptive renewal cycles and interviews with 143 producers in eight municipalities.

Sociedad y Ambiente 23 · doi:10.31840/sya.vi23.2188

Libert-Amico and Paz-Pellat, 2018 – Leaf rust and climate policy in Chiapas. Reviews the rust outbreak that began in 2012 in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas and the federal and state response. It records the mass planting of certified plants and the shift towards robusta grown with little shade.

Madera y Bosques 24 (special issue), e2401914 · doi:10.21829/myb.2018.2401914

López-García et al., 2016 – Coffee varieties in Veracruz. Compared yield and quality of 20 arabica cultivars at 800 m in Zentla, Veracruz, over five harvests. Catuaí Amarillo yielded most cherry per plant; Pacamara yielded least but had the largest beans and the best aroma, acidity and body scores.

Revista Fitotecnia Mexicana 39(3), 297–304 · SciELO México

Ovalle-Rivera et al., 2015 – Arabica suitability under climate change. Modelled suitability for arabica in the main producing regions by the 2050s. In Mesoamerica suitable climates move upwards; Mexico loses the largest share of suitable area in the region.

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

Contested

Size of the crop: USDA’s July 2026 tables give 4.08 million 60-kg bags for marketing year 2025/26, which is 244,800 t (our calculation)¹; FAO gives 194,470 t of green coffee for calendar year 2024, a value it flags as estimated.³ USDA’s post in Mexico City forecast 3.89 million bags for 2024/25 in May 2024; the July 2026 tables give 3.93 million for that year.^5,1 The sources consulted do not explain the differences.
Shares of the three main states: the agriculture ministry’s statistics service (SIAP) gives Chiapas 40.8%, Veracruz 24.4% and Puebla 15.5% of coffee cherry in 2021 (preliminary)³³, and USDA’s 2022 report gives more than 40%, 24% and 15%.⁶ In USDA’s 2024 report the text gives Chiapas 31%, Veracruz 27.8% and Puebla 25%, while its own table by state gives 38.4%, 25.9% and 18.1% (our calculation).⁵
Who the producers are: USDA’s 2022 report, citing a congressional research centre (CEDRSSA), counts 90% of growers as small-scale, with less than 2 ha, and 37% of producers as women⁶; its 2024 report gives 90% small-scale farms averaging 2.9 ha and, from a 2024 cost study, 22% women.⁵
End of INMECAFE: a 2007 study dates the start of its liquidation to 1989 and its end to 1993, when the Mexican Coffee Council was created¹⁵; two later studies date its liquidation or disappearance to 1993.^16,17

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Sources

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, Mexico, marketing years 2021/22–2026/27; July 2026 edition.
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, Mexico, calendar years 1961–2024.
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ASecretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (SADER) (2019). Acuerdo por el que se dan a conocer las Reglas de Operación del Programa de Fomento a la Agricultura de la Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural para el ejercicio 2019. Diario Oficial de la Federación, 28 February 2019 (copy in FAOLEX).Quoted passage: a description; Mexico, federal support for small coffee producers, 2019.
AInstituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI) (2003). Declaración General de Protección de la Denominación de Origen “Café Chiapas”. Diario Oficial de la Federación, 27 August 2003 (SIDOF source text).Quoted passage: a definition; Mexico, denomination of origin Café Chiapas: product, altitude, regions.
AInstituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI) (2000). Declaratoria general de protección a la denominación de origen Café Veracruz. Diario Oficial de la Federación, 15 November 2000 (copy hosted by the Asociación Interamericana de la Propiedad Intelectual, ASIPI).Quoted passage: a definition; Mexico, denomination of origin Café Veracruz: product and area.
AInstituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI) (2000). Extracto de la solicitud de declaración general de protección de la denominación de origen Café Veracruz. Diario Oficial de la Federación, 2000 (SIDOF source text).Quoted passage: a description; Mexico, application for the denomination of origin Café Veracruz, 2000.
ASecretaría de Economía (2007). Norma Oficial Mexicana NOM-169-SCFI-2007, Café Chiapas – Especificaciones y métodos de prueba. Diario Oficial de la Federación, 26 March 2007 (SIDOF source text).Quoted passage: a definition; Mexico, official standard for Café Chiapas; processing described in an informative appendix.
AEuropean Commission (2018). Modernisation of the Trade part of the EU-Mexico Global Agreement: Intellectual property (text of the agreement in principle, without prejudice). European Commission (copy hosted by the Penn State Center for Agricultural and Shale Law).Quoted passage: a definition; EU–Mexico trade agreement in principle (2018), Annex II Part B.
ACouncil of the European Union (2026). EU-Mexico: Council gives final approval to modernised trade agreement. Council of the European Union, press release.Quoted passage: a description; EU–Mexico Interim Agreement on Trade: signature 22 May 2026, conclusion by the Council 14 July 2026.
APérez Akaki, P. (2007). Las transformaciones institucionales en la producción y comercialización internacional del café en el siglo XX e inicios del XXI. Problemas del Desarrollo 38(150) (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México).Quoted passage: a description; Institutional change in coffee production and trade, 20th century; Mexico and the ICO.
ARojas-Herrera, J. J.; Olguín-Pérez, A. M. (2018). Origen, desarrollo y perspectivas de las cooperativas cafetaleras de Huatusco, Veracruz. LiminaR. Estudios Sociales y Humanísticos 16(1), 119–133. doi:10.29043/liminar.v16i1.568 · other copiesQuoted passage: a description; Coffee cooperatives in Huatusco, Veracruz; INMECAFE and its liquidation.
AVenegas Sandoval, A.; Soto Pinto, L.; Balente Herrera, O.; Álvarez Gordillo, G. (2020). Transformaciones de la caficultura en Chiapas: un análisis de las crisis desde la perspectiva del ciclo de renovación adaptativa. Sociedad y Ambiente 23 (El Colegio de la Frontera Sur). doi:10.31840/sya.vi23.2188 · other copiesQuoted passage: a description; History and crises of coffee in Chiapas, 1846–2018.
AMacip, R. F. (2004). Transculturación y lenguaje contencioso entre los cafetaleros del centro de Veracruz. Bajo el Volcán 4(8), 163–183 (Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla).Quoted passage: a description; Coffee growers of central Veracruz; arrival of coffee in Mexico (attributed).
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AInstituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP) (2026). Centro de Investigación Regional Pacífico Sur (CIRPAS). INIFAP.Quoted passage: a description; INIFAP regional centre page: address and research lines of Campo Experimental Rosario Izapa.
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Tier A · authoritative · B · trade and expert · C · general. Supporting quotes for every source are in the data version of this entry. If a publisher’s site refuses access, try the doi link or “other copies”.

The literature for this entry was last searched on 4 Nov 2026. A statement that no source consulted for this entry shows something refers to the sources above; newer or missing work may exist.

Mexico

Snapshot#

Where coffee grows#

Climate and harvest#

Farms and people#

Varieties#

Robusta#

Processing#

History#

Trade and institutions#

Production over time#

Production by state#

Leaf rust, 2012–2013 and after#

Exports#

Geographical indications#

Cup of Excellence#

Organic and shade-grown coffee#

Research#

Climate risk#

Reference values#

Open questions#

Key studies#

Sources

Discussion

Suggest a change

Thank you – suggestion received

In brief

Snapshot#

Where coffee grows#

Climate and harvest#

Farms and people#

Varieties#

Robusta#

Processing#

History#

Trade and institutions#

Production over time#

Production by state#

Leaf rust, 2012–2013 and after#

Exports#

Geographical indications#

Cup of Excellence#

Organic and shade-grown coffee#

Research#

Climate risk#

Reference values#

Open questions#

Key studies#

Sources

Discussion