Global supplies at risk as earthquake paralyzes Colombia's coffee exports
Photo: Colombia's coffee exports have virtually come to a halt (Getty Images)
Colombia's coffee exports have virtually come to a halt due to a devastating earthquake. The quake damaged infrastructure at the country's main port and caused the closure of key highways, according to Bloomberg.
Colombia's main coffee export port, Buenaventura, has been largely cut off from transport links due to numerous landslides and road damage along routes to the Pacific coast.
"Coffee operations are currently paused. There may be some isolated operations, but at the moment the operation for exporting coffee has stopped. At this point, there is no specific formal communication saying 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, logistics flows cannot be quickly redirected there due to an acute shortage of freight transportation.
Problems in producing regions
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the harvest season is currently underway in the southern departments of Cauca, Nariño, Valle del Cauca, and Huila, which traditionally export their coffee through Buenaventura.
In addition, most processing and transportation facilities are located near the earthquake's epicenter.
"There have been no reports so far of severe structural damage to coffee mills, but operations are being affected by electricity outages, connectivity problems and the personal impact on workers, including people who have lost their homes," Gomez said.
Impact on the global coffee market
Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee producer, behind only Brazil and Vietnam, and accounts for about 7% of global output. The country is also the world's second-largest supplier of premium coffee varieties.
In 2025, Colombia produced 13.4 million bags of coffee, each weighing 60 kilograms. The country exports around 1 million bags every month.
As a result, every day of logistical disruption causes significant delays in global shipments, while the buildup of inventories is expected to create backlogs in exports even after transportation routes are reopened.
A magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck Colombia on Monday morning, becoming the country's most destructive earthquake in the past century. High-rise buildings, schools, and hospitals in Colombia's coffee-growing region were damaged.
As of Tuesday, August 11, at least 254 deaths had been confirmed, including 101 in Pereira and 95 in Cali.
