Coffee exports from Colombia have virtually ground to a halt after a devastating earthquake damaged the country's main port and closed key highways. Bloomberg.
Colombia's main coffee export port, Buenaventura, was virtually cut off from transport due to numerous blockages and destruction of roads on the way to the Pacific coast.
"Currently, coffee operations are suspended. There may be some, but at this point, coffee exports have been halted. There is currently no specific official information on when the road will be fully reopened," — said Gustavo Gomez, head of the Colombian Coffee Exporters Association (Asoexport).
The country's alternative ports in Cartagena and Santa Marta on the Caribbean coast are operating without major disruptions. However, a rapid redirection of logistics flows there is not possible due to an acute shortage of freight transport.
Problems in production regions
The situation is complicated by the fact that currently, active harvesting is underway in the southern departments (Cauca, Nariño, Valle del Cauca, and Huila), which traditionally export their products through Buenaventura.
In addition, most processing and transportation enterprises are located near the epicenter of the earthquake.
"There have been no reports of serious structural damage to production facilities so far, but work is being affected by power outages, communication problems and personal consequences for workers, including those who have lost their homes," — Gomez noted.
Impact on the global coffee market
Colombia is the third largest coffee producer in the world (after Brazil and Vietnam), supplying about 7% of the world's volume. The country also ranks second in the world in terms of supply of high-quality varieties.
In 2025, the country's coffee production reached 13,4 million bags (60 kg each). Colombia exports about 1 million bags per month.
Because of this, every day of logistics downtime leads to significant delays in global shipments, and the accumulation of inventory will create queues for shipments even after traffic resumes.
