Costa Rica’s espresso manufacturing is forecast to say no via 10% within the 2025/26 marketplace yr, achieving the similar of 1.17 million 60-kilogram baggage, in line with the actual USDA estimates.
The reduce displays the consequences of the biennial espresso cycle, in addition to ongoing demanding situations from hard work shortages, converting climate patterns and the emerging price of the Costa Rican colón.
Espresso exports are anticipated to fall to 1.06 million baggage, unwell from 1.15 million the former yr. Even if international costs have risen, the historically robust top class paid for Costa Rican espresso has narrowed, and consumers are wary amid business unsureness.
The choice of Costa Rican espresso manufacturers continues to fall, with fewer than 26,000 registered growers in 2023/24 — a 46% reduce from a decade in the past. Smaller manufacturers now dominate the soil, day micro-mills and value-added exports play games an more and more impressive function.
[Note: This is part of a series of DCN stories that will explore USDA FAS annual coffee reports. The information agency typically delivers more than a dozen country-level reports on the coffee sector, each coming from different authors and field offices.]
📉 Export Outlook
Overall exports for 2025/26 are projected at 1.06 million 60-kilogram baggage, in comparison to 1.15 million in 2024/25.
The U.S. remainder the supremacy single-country vacation spot, even though its proportion of overall exports declined to 38% in 2023/24, day the EU rose to 41.5%.
Manage 2023/24 consumers come with:
United States: 386,307 baggage
Belgium: 282,162 baggage
Germany: 60,347 baggage
South Korea, Japan and Italy apply, in that sequence
In step with the Costa Rican Espresso Institute (ICAFE), export costs rose 52% year-over-year, achieving a mean of $465.65 consistent with bag thru April 2025.
In spite of top costs, premiums for Costa Rican espresso have narrowed, with lowered margin over bottom marketplace charges.
Costa Rica exports nearly completely inexperienced, unroasted espresso, prized for its traceability and sustainability requirements.
🌱 Manufacturing and Rising Statuses
Overall manufacturing for 2025/26 is forecast at 1.17 million baggage, unwell from 1.3 million in 2024/25 because of the biennial yielding fade and alternative demanding situations.
The Los Santos area (together with Tarrazú) remainder the highest-producing segment, adopted via Pérez Zeledón.
Overdue rains and protracted humidity in past due 2024 brought about fruit loss in lots of areas.
Political situations in Nicaragua have dramatically lowered the current of migrant espresso pickers into Costa Rica from the north, inflicting popular hard work shortages all through harvest. Participants of the Ngäbe-Buglé tribes in Panama are more and more being rented as migrant staff.
Surrounding situations stay risky, with contemporary years eye larger raindrops and better temperatures, prominent to larger defect occurrence.
Maximum of Costa Rica’s 83,000 hectares of planted espresso are in highland farmlands, however 2022 information from ICAFE displays an 11.9% fade in planted segment in recent times.
☕ Home Intake
Home intake is projected to reserve stable at roughly 305,000 baggage in 2025/26, as top client costs and occasional society expansion constrain call for.
Native espresso gross sales fell 25% year-over-year in 2023/24, losing to 156,807 baggage as inflation and global pricing stored retail costs increased.
Imported espresso makes up a massive proportion of the native marketplace, in particular lower-cost beans from Honduras and Nicaragua.
Costa Rica has 46 registered roasters and 102 exporters, with micromills and small-batch manufacturing turning into extra regular in recent times.
🏷️ Imports and Shares
Overall imports are forecast at 150,000 baggage in 2025/26, together with 120,000 inexperienced, 25,000 roasted and 5,000 soluble.
Imports differ according to worth and availability, however have grown over while, particularly within the roasted area (now 18% of overall imports).
Finishing shares are projected at 105,000 baggage, unwell from 150,000 in 2024/25, as reduce manufacturing limits surplus.
🏛️ Coverage and Sustainability Efforts
ICAFE is prominent efforts to conform to the EU’s deforestation-free verification (EUDR) regulations.
In March 2024, Costa Rica finished its first qualified deforestation-free export cargo to Italy, involving coffees from 69 manufacturers.
Most growers don’t seem to be but situated to fulfill complete EUDR requirement, given technical and logistical limitations, in line with the research.
Coaching is ongoing to digitize farm information the usage of ICAFE’s CR_CAFE equipment, particularly for farms over 4 hectares.
For entire information tables and development charts, see the entire USDA Coffee Annual Report for Costa Rica (May 2025).
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