Outperformed America… Europe: The Main Destination for Costa Rican Coffee
Europe has now become Costa Rica’s top destination for its coffee exports, outpacing the United States for the first time in history. According to new data from Costa Rica’s Foreign Trade Promoter, 27,494 tons of coffee were sent to European markets in 2024—making up 42.6% of total exports—while the US, long the country’s primary buyer, imported 25,759 tons (40%). Major European importers include Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany.
Over the past four years, overall export volumes have experienced a slight decline. However, Costa Rican coffee producers are shifting focus toward higher quality products, catering to a growing global appetite for premium and specialty coffee, particularly in Europe and Asia. Both PROCOMER and the Costa Rican Coffee Institute see these figures as a sign of increasing European confidence in Costa Rican coffee, even as new EU deforestation regulations (EUDR) loom on the horizon. These rules, set to take effect on December 30, 2025, will require EU importers of commodities like coffee, cocoa, palm oil, paper, and wood to verify that their products have not contributed to deforestation since the end of 2020.
Gustavo Jiménez, President of the Costa Rican Coffee Institute, remarked that selling more coffee to Europe than to the US highlights a pivotal shift in international trade dynamics and readiness to adapt to evolving market conditions.
The data is also encouraging for proponents of the EUDR. In November 2024, the EU postponed the regulation’s implementation after concerns emerged about the preparedness of coffee producers and the potential impact on supply chains and market access. In response, Costa Rica has taken proactive steps to ensure its coffee complies with these new standards. For instance, in March 2024, the United Nations Development Programme reported the country’s first shipment of deforestation-free coffee to Europe, with Exclusive Coffees sending 275 bags (each weighing 60 kg) to Italy’s illycaffè. A month later, Aquiares Estate—the largest Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee farm in Costa Rica—exported EUDR-compliant coffee to Barcelona-based specialty roaster Nomad Coffee.
Today, over 27,300 family groups, with 85% being smallholder farmers, contribute to Costa Rica’s vibrant coffee industry, which now stands as the nation’s third largest export, following medical equipment and fruit.
