Italy is the largest coffee producer across Europe, while Germany is the biggest importer in the EU.
Coffee production across the EU has increased by 15% in the last decade, according to new Eurostat data.
Each EU citizen consumed about 5kg of coffee in 2023. Total production including roasted, decaffeinated, and substitute coffee products hit over 2 million tonnes last year, an output worth €13 billion.
Italy led the way, producing a quarter (25%) of the EU’s coffee, followed by Germany (22%), France (6%) and the Netherlands (6%).
The EU also imports around 2.7 million tonnes of coffee each year, worth €10.6 billion.
Germany buys a third of it (33%), followed by Italy (23%), Belgium (10%), Spain (9%) and France (7%).
Most of the EU’s coffee imports last year came from Brazil — 921 900 tonnes, or 34% of the total extra-EU imports. Vietnam was responsible for 24%, with Uganda providing 8%.
But a new EU law expected to come into force in 2025 could drastically change this picture, obliging coffee makers to prove that their supply chain doesn’t cause deforestation.
According to data published by the French government, coffee is a crop with a high deforestation potential.
“As the world’s biggest importer of coffee, the EU is responsible for 44% of coffee-related deforestation,” the report warns.
For more information, watch the Euronews video in the player above.
