Taiwanese Importer Plans To Purchase Over 720,000kg Of Coffee From Guatemala Amid Geopolitical Tensions – CoffeeTalk

Taiwanese coffee importers are planning to purchase 720,000 kilograms of Guatemalan coffee beans from the country, a nearly 50% increase from last year. The Central America Trade Office (CATO), established in 1997, focuses on trade relations and promotions between Taiwan and its Central American allies. The group, which includes visits arranged by Guatemala’s National Coffee Association (ANACAFE), will procure enough coffee to fill 38 shipping containers. The coffee beans imported from Guatemala accounted for more than 10% of Taiwan’s total coffee consumption, making the country the fourth-largest coffee exporter to Taiwan.

The group will visit Guatemala’s high-altitude Huehuetenango region to observe production processes and meet with local people involved in farming, processing, and exporting the caffeinated commodity. In May last year, China announced a ban on the import of macadamia nuts and coffee beans from Guatemala, viewed as economic pressure to persuade the central American nation to cut diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing.

Guatemala is one of Taiwan’s 12 remaining diplomatic allies, and in response, Taipei took measures to boost imports of Guatemalan coffee to Taiwan in an attempt to help its diplomatic ally mitigate the effects of Beijing’s economic coercion. Guatemala’s coffee exports to Taiwan exceeded US$18 million in 2024, a 13% increase from 2023.

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