Coffee Finance Network (www.coffinance.com) reports that, according to the latest report, the world's top 10 coffee trading companies together account for 35% of total global coffee trade, while the top 30 account for 55% (note: the report's conclusions are based on 2020 data).

The report points out that the global coffee supply chain remains generally opaque, meaning that "consumers and companies have limited visibility into their supply sources," making it difficult to identify links to issues such as human rights abuses or environmental degradation. For coffee, these challenges have received less attention than for other internationally traded commodities such as beef, soybeans and palm oil.

On the export side, the report identifies Olam as the world's largest coffee export trading company, accounting for 7.6% of the global total. It is followed by LDC at 4.1%, NKG at 3.4% and Sucafina at 3%. Other major exporters are mainly country-specific players, such as Brazil's Cooxupe and Colombia's FNC.

On the import side, the report identifies NKG as the world's largest coffee import trading company, accounting for 6.8% of the global total. It is followed by Nestlé at 5.5% and Olam at 4.6%. Other major importers include more consumer-facing coffee companies, such as Starbucks (ranked 8th) and Lavazza (ranked 11th).

As for the next international trade trend, the report expects increasing concentration: the share of the world's top five traders in global green coffee trade is expected to rise from about 30% in 2018 to 50% in 2025.

In addition, the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will include traceability requirements for coffee and is expected to take effect on December 30, 2026. As the EU imports 40% of the world's coffee, and the companies supplying its coffee cover nearly four-fifths of the global market, once they establish traceability and compliance processes, many companies are likely to extend these standards to markets outside Europe.