Brazil's unpredictable shipping schedules severely hinder the country's coffee producers.
Shipping delays in Brazil’s ports cost coffee producers and exporters millions of dollars each year. In June of 2024, the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé) began studying Brazil’s principal coffee exporting ports, and the results are shocking.
In April, 2025, Brazil exported 3.09 million 60kg bags of coffee. The Brazilian National Supply Company (CONAB) recently increased its coffee production forecast for 2025 to an estimated 55.7 million bags, based on a stronger-than-expected robusta crop, representing a 2.7% increase in production from 2024. However, according to Cecafé, Brazil was unable to ship 737,653 60 kg bags of coffee in April, equivalent to 2,236 containers, costing producers R$6,657 million ($1.15 million) in additional storage, detentions, pre-stacking, and early gate fees. These bottlenecks also prevented Brazil from earning an additional R$1.9 billion ($328 million) in foreign exchange revenue that month.
Cecafé’s Detention Zero Bulletin (DTZ) reported that in April 157 out of 283 ships (56%) experienced delays or changes in calls at Brazil’s main ports. Brazil’s largest coffee exporter, the Port of Santos, which handled 79% of coffee shipments between January and April this year, reported that 58% of ships were delayed or had their schedules changed. The longest reported waiting time was 31 days. Brazil’s second-largest coffee exporter, the port of Rio de Janeiro, recorded a 67% delay rate that month.
Cecafé’s technical director, Eduardo Heron, believes Brazilian ports do not reflect the country’s growing agribusiness sectors and claims “the current situation requires urgent action from the government.” Brazil’s ports operate at full capacity but are underfunded and use outdated equipment without adequate maintenance. Regulatory red tape and convoluted bureaucratic procedures slow down processing times.
Vietnam, the world’s second-largest coffee producer, faced similar problems thirty years ago, but began investing heavily to address its shipping and logistics issues. In the mid-2000s, a series of initiatives were passed to improve port logistics and infrastructure, including enhancing deep-water ports to increase cargo handling capacity and digital platforms that streamline customs procedures, reducing clearance times.
Today, the Vietnamese government prioritizes port development and has launched a master plan to further improve its seaport system by 2030. The country aims to significantly expand the capacity of its ports, develop more second-class ports, and invest in the middle regions with new international ports in the Mekong Delta area.
Vietnam also courts foreign investment partnerships that introduce advanced technologies and management expertise. Such capital investments help modernize and improve efficiency rates. An approach that would greatly benefit Brazil as well.
Brazil’s unpredictable shipping affects the country’s entire coffee supply chain. “Brazil is the country that passes on the FOB price of exports to coffee growers the most, at an average of 88.3% in 2024 to those who grow arabica and 96.5% to those who produce canephora,” says Heron. “When we are unable to export our coffees due to the lack of port infrastructure, we also fail to pass on more revenue to our producers, who are exemplary workers in the cultivation of sustainable and high-quality coffees for everyone.”