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🇪🇨 Ecuador /Economy & Trade

Ecuador's Specialty Coffee Fetches High Prices in Europe and U.S.

From El Comercio · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Ecuador's specialty coffee, known as "café oro," is fetching high prices internationally, exceeding $500 per quintal.
  • Global supply reductions due to diseases like roya and broca, along with adverse weather in Brazil, have driven up prices for specialty coffee.
  • Despite high global demand, Ecuador's domestic production is limited, with only 150,000 quintals produced annually against a consumption of 300,000, a situation stemming from reduced cultivation areas since the 1990s.

Ecuadorian "café oro," a specialty coffee, is experiencing a boom in the international market, with prices soaring above $500 per quintal. Producers in regions like Carchi, Loja, and Manabí are benefiting from this surge.

Ecuador's specialty coffee is priced above $500 per quintal.

— Producers from Carchi, Loja, Zamora Chinchipe, El Oro, and ManabíDescribing the current market value of Ecuador's specialty coffee.

The global coffee market has seen price increases over the past two years. Jorge Delgado, director of the Taza Dorada at the National Association of Ecuadorian Coffee (Anecafé), attributes this to reduced global supply. Factors include the prevalence of diseases like roya and broca, as well as unfavorable weather conditions, such as frost in Brazil, a major producer.

The global supply was reduced due to the presence of diseases, like roya and broca, and adverse climatic conditions, such as frosts that affected one of the world's largest producers, Brazil.

— Jorge DelgadoExplaining the reasons for the international price increase of specialty coffee.

Despite the favorable market, Ecuador's participation remains limited. Delgado notes that the country produces only 150,000 quintals annually, falling short of its domestic consumption of 300,000 quintals. This low production is a legacy of a significant reduction in cultivation areas that began in the 1990s and has not yet recovered.

Ecuador produces only 150,000 quintals annually compared to a consumption demand of 300,000.

— Jorge DelgadoHighlighting Ecuador's limited coffee production relative to its consumption.

Within this limited production, organic and fair-trade coffees are gaining traction. Farmers in various provinces are pushing this specialty segment, which is entirely exported. Loja province, in particular, is a standout, with its coffee consistently earning high scores in competitions like the Taza Dorada. Melecio Mayo, president of Fapecafes, highlights that producers in his region receive between $510 and $525 per quintal for their "café oro." This premium price is partly due to their commitment to deforestation-free and organic farming practices, aligning with European Union regulations set to take effect in 2027.

Loja is our great standard-bearer at the country level.

— Jorge DelgadoPraising the quality of coffee from the Loja province.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Comercio in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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