Coffee Production in Venezuela: Regions, Export, and Traceability

Coffee production in Venezuela is back on the radar of roasters, green coffee buyers, and specialty market players. But the challenge is not just to produce coffee: it is to turn that production into an exportable, traceable, and marketable offering.

Venezuela maintains a broad coffee-growing base, with producing regions in the Andes, the west, the center, and the east of the country. There is history, there are producers, there are areas with potential, and there are coffees that can interest the international market.

But the real challenge lies in converting that production into exportable green coffee: coffee with validated quality, traceability, documentation, consistency, and clear commercial conditions so that an international roaster can buy it with confidence.

At Curador Green, we believe that this is the core issue: Venezuela does not need to sell nostalgia. It needs to build trust.

Does Venezuela currently produce coffee?

Yes. Venezuela produces coffee in multiple states, including Portuguesa, Lara, Trujillo, Mérida, Táchira, Monagas, Sucre, Yaracuy, Aragua, and other producing areas.

Although the country does not currently hold the place it historically did in international coffee trade, it still has a significant agricultural base and important territorial diversity.

The problem is not simply whether Venezuela produces coffee. The more useful question is another:

Agricultural production is one thing. Exportable supply is another.

How much coffee does Venezuela produce?

Figures should be handled with caution. There are differences between official data, private estimates, and international references. Even so, available institutional data show a significant recovery in national production.

According to a presentation by the Venezuelan Coffee Corporation / MPPAPT, green coffee production reportedly increased from 1,573,000 quintals in 2016 to 4,077,918 quintals in 2023.

The same source reports for 2023 a production area of 226,551 hectares and an average yield of 18 quintals per hectare.

This data is important because it shows that Venezuela is not an origin without a productive base. There is coffee. There are regions. There are producers. There is activity.

But a more demanding interpretation is also necessary: producing more does not necessarily mean exporting more.

Coffee production in Venezuela: recent evolution

The recovery reported by CVC/MPPAPT shows a positive trend between 2016 and 2023. However, for an international buyer, national data is only the starting point.

A European roaster does not buy "national production." They buy lots.

And a lot needs concrete information: origin, producer, variety, process, moisture, defects, sensory profile, availability, documentation, traceability, logistics, and ability to repeat.

Therefore, when we talk about coffee production in Venezuela, it is not enough to look at the total volume. We must look at how much of that volume can be transformed into commercially viable green coffee.

Main coffee-producing states in Venezuela

According to the 2021-2025 Planting Plan of the CVC/MPPAT, the main projected producing states are Portuguesa, Lara, Trujillo, Monagas, Táchira, Mérida, and Sucre.

The strategic reading is clear: Venezuela is not a single-region origin.

Portuguesa and Lara are relevant in terms of scale. Trujillo, Mérida, and Táchira are important for their Andean tradition and their potential for differentiated coffees. Monagas and Sucre show that the Venezuelan coffee map also has an eastern dimension that deserves more attention.

This diversity can be an advantage, but only if it is well organized.

Production is not the same as exportable coffee

The fact that a country produces coffee does not mean that it can reliably sell green coffee in Europe or other demanding markets.

Between the farm and the roaster there is a complex chain: harvesting, processing, drying, storage, grading, sampling, cupping, contract, documentation, logistics, traceability, regulatory compliance, and delivery capacity.

In many emerging origins, the problem is not the absolute lack of coffee. The problem is that the coffee does not always reach the buyer with the information, consistency, and preparation it needs.

That is why the work does not begin at the port. It begins at the origin.

Venezuelan coffee exports: a still irregular chain

CVC/MPPAPT information shows that formal green coffee exports have been irregular.

The peak appears in 2019, with more than 401,000 quintals exported. Afterwards, the series drops significantly.

The contrast with reported production is evident: production is growing, but formal exports are not increasing proportionally.

This gap summarizes the problem: Venezuela may be producing more coffee, but it is not yet translating into a stable export platform.

Domestic price, international price, and export arbitrage

An interesting piece of data emerges when comparing formal exports with the relationship between domestic and international prices.

According to reviewed CVC/MPPAPT data, 2019 was the year with the highest formal green coffee exports in the recent series, with 401,507 quintals.

In that same year, the reported domestic price was approximately 41.75 USD/qq, compared to an international price of 98 USD/qq. That is, there was a significant differential.

When there is a margin between the domestic price and the international price, formal export finds more economic space. In contrast, when the domestic price approaches or exceeds the international price, exporting becomes much more difficult.

In 2021, for example, the source shows a domestic price of 150 USD/qq compared to an international price of 103 USD/qq. That year, formal green coffee exports fell to 87,606 quintals.

This does not mean that price is the only cause. Permits, financing, inventories, quality, logistics, domestic demand, documentation, and commercial capacity also play a role.

But price arbitrage helps to understand something important: producing more does not always mean exporting more.

For export to occur, an economy that functions must exist.

Informal channels and loss of traceability

Another relevant piece of data appears in the estimated distribution of the 2022-2023 harvest.

In a CVC/MPPAPT slide, there is an item labeled "smuggling" of 8.3 million kg, compared to 715,200 kg of formal export.

For this analysis, we prefer to read this item more broadly as informal or unstructured channels.

The term can be distracting. The signal is what matters: part of the volume does not pass through a formal chain capable of generating traceability, data, financing, contracts, and international trust.

When coffee leaves the formal chain, the country loses more than volume. It loses information.

And without information, it is very difficult to build a serious exportable offering.

What an international roaster needs to buy Venezuelan coffee

An international roaster doesn't need to hear that Venezuela has "the best coffee in the world." They need clear answers.

• What variety is it?
• Who produced the coffee?
• Where is the farm located?
• How was it processed?
• What is the moisture content?
• How many defects does it have?
• What is the sensory profile?
• How many bags are available?
• Is the sample representative?
• When can it be shipped?
• What documentation exists?
• Can it comply with EUDR?
• Can the lot be repeated?

That is the real standard. Venezuelan coffee has potential, but potential must translate into information, contract, and delivery.

EUDR and traceability of Venezuelan coffee

The European deforestation regulation, known as EUDR, will transform the way green coffee is purchased.

Operators and traders will have to prove that products like coffee do not come from deforested or degraded land after the established cut-off date. This requires traceability, geolocation, documentation, and due diligence.

For origins with informal chains, this can become a barrier. For those who manage to organize themselves, it can become an advantage.

In the case of Venezuela, traceability should not only be seen as a regulatory requirement. It should be seen as a way to compete.

Venezuelan coffee without documentation will become increasingly difficult to sell. Traceable, consistent, and well-structured Venezuelan coffee can find a place.

Curador Green: how we structure Venezuelan coffee for international markets

At Curador Green, we work precisely on that point: connecting Venezuelan coffee with international buyers in a serious, traceable, and commercially viable way.

The job is not just to find a buyer. Before selling, the coffee must be able to present itself correctly.

This involves identifying producers and areas with potential, validating physical and sensory quality, building clear commercial specifications, organizing representative samples, documenting origin and traceability, preparing a marketable offer, connecting with roasters and buyers, and supporting the operation so that it does not remain just a good conversation.

The objective is simple: that Venezuelan coffee arrives on the market not as a promise, but as an evaluable and marketable offer.

The Mocotíes Triangle and Mérida's role

Mérida plays an important role in this conversation.

The state has a coffee tradition, mountain areas, family producers, and a historical reputation linked to Andean coffee. In addition, the Protected Geographical Indication "Café de Mérida" shows that institutional elements exist to build a more serious origin narrative.

However, it is necessary to be precise. Not all coffee produced in Mérida can automatically be presented as IGP Café de Mérida. The use of a geographical indication depends on authorization, a delimited zone, regulations, and compliance with specific conditions.

Therefore, when there is no formal authorization, the correct communication should be "coffee from Mérida state" or "Mérida origin." This precision also builds trust.

For Curador Green, areas like the Mocotíes Triangle are strategic because they allow us to work on origin, quality, traceability, and territorial narrative from a real base.

The thesis: Venezuela needs to convert production into trust

Coffee production in Venezuela shows signs of recovery, but the future of its origin does not depend solely on producing more.

It depends on building a modern chain: where the producer has market access, the buyer receives clear information, the coffee travels well, quality is validated, traceability exists, and the story is authentic but also verifiable.

The opportunity is not in repeating that Venezuela once had good coffee. The opportunity is in turning Venezuelan coffee into a reliable offering.

Conclusion: the future of Venezuelan coffee lies in its structure

The key question is not just how much coffee Venezuela produces.

That's where the real market is.

Curador Green works precisely on that answer: connecting Venezuelan coffee producers, associations, and regions with international roasters who seek differentiated coffees, but also operational security.

Venezuelan coffee does not need to return as a memory. It needs to return as a reliable origin.

Sources

• Corporación Venezolana del Café / MPPAPT. Presentation of the Venezuelan coffee sector, production data, exports, prices, and estimated harvest distribution.
• Corporación Venezolana del Café / MPPAT. Planting Plan 2021-2025. Projections. Caracas, January 12, 2022.
• SAPI. Administrative Provision No. 911. Protected Geographical Indication “Café de Mérida”.
• International Coffee Organization. Coffee Market Report, May 2026.
• European Commission. Regulation on deforestation-free products, EUDR.