Why Brazil Is Turning to Robusta Over Arabica?
Dubai – Qahwa World
Brazil, the largest producer of coffee globally, is gradually changing its approach to cultivation as climate change challenges traditional arabica crops. Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and increased disease pressure are encouraging more farmers to invest in robusta, a coffee variety that tolerates heat better and offers a stronger, more bitter flavor along with higher caffeine content.
The country’s main arabica-growing regions have experienced more frequent and severe droughts, reducing the resilience of this mild variety. While arabica remains Brazil’s primary export, robusta production has expanded rapidly, increasing by over 81% in the past decade, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Fernando Maximiliano, Coffee Market Intelligence Manager at StoneX, notes that robusta growth is primarily a response to climate-related losses in arabica, rather than a shift in consumer demand. Over the past three years, arabica production has increased by roughly 2–2.5% annually, while robusta has grown about 4.8% per year. This year, robusta production surged nearly 22%, marking a record harvest, reflecting its ability to withstand adverse weather and deliver profitable yields.
In hotter regions unsuitable for arabica, farmers are adopting strategies to grow robusta successfully, including planting coffee trees under the shade of native or other species to maintain soil moisture and protect the plants from heat. Jonatas Machado, commercial director of Café Apuí, emphasizes that such methods help maintain productivity and bean quality.
Although Vietnam remains the world’s top robusta producer, Brazil is closing the gap and may surpass it due to its structured supply chain. Robusta has higher caffeine and a stronger taste than arabica, but younger consumers tend to focus less on origin or roast notes, favoring personalized drinks with milk, syrups, and creamers that mask the flavor.
As coffee prices rise, robusta may become even more attractive to consumers. In Europe, the gap between arabica and robusta prices is expected to widen due to regulations requiring imported commodities to prove they do not come from recently deforested or degraded land; instant coffee, largely made from robusta, is exempt from these rules. Europe accounts for nearly half of global instant coffee revenue, according to Grand View Research.
Robusta’s growing popularity, high productivity, and improved quality have convinced an increasing number of Brazilian producers to invest in it. Alexsandro Teixeira, a researcher at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, notes that higher quality beans have enhanced consumer appeal and contributed to rising robusta prices.
