Brazil Coffee Wholesale: Sourcing Guide for Roasters, Distributors and Importers

Brazil exports over 40 million 60kg bags of green coffee annually, more than the next two largest exporters combined. Roughly 70–75% of national output is Arabica, with Conilon making up the remainder and growing in share as espresso and instant coffee demand rises globally. The scale of Brazilian production means pricing tracks the ICE Arabica ("C") futures market closely, giving wholesale buyers a transparent, liquid reference price — unlike many origins where pricing is opaque until you're deep into supplier conversations. This makes Brazil the easiest origin to budget against and the most common blend base worldwide.

Brazilian green coffee is graded on a combination of screen size, defect count, and cup classification. Screen 17/18 is the commercial standard for export-grade Arabica; screen 19+ commands a premium for larger, more uniform beans. Cup quality runs from Strictly Soft and Soft (cleanest, sweetest cups, used for specialty and premium blends) down through Hard and Rioy (used almost exclusively in industrial and instant coffee production). Defect counts follow the Brazil "type" system (Type 2 through Type 6), where Type 2/3 represents export-quality lots with minimal black, sour, or broken beans. Candora Trading sources against buyer-specified screen size, cup classification, and defect tolerance rather than a single fixed spec, so private label and blend programmes get consistent, repeatable lots.

Buyers generally have three routes into Brazilian coffee: direct relationships with individual fazendas (farms), Brazilian export houses that consolidate multiple farms into graded, exportable lots, or a trading partner that manages supplier selection, quality control, and logistics on the buyer's behalf. Direct farm relationships work well for large roasters chasing a specific single-farm story, but require significant volume commitment and in-country due diligence. Export houses offer graded consistency at scale but limited flexibility on smaller or mixed-spec orders. A trading partner model — which is how Candora Trading operates — sits between these: we work with vetted Brazilian exporters across multiple regions, so buyers get graded, documented lots without managing origin relationships themselves, and without being locked into container-only minimums.

Because Brazil is a high-liquidity origin, Candora Trading is able to offer Brazilian green coffee at genuinely small entry points. Pilot orders start from a single pallet (roughly 300–600kg, or 5–10 x 60kg bags), which is enough for a roaster to test a lot before committing further. Standard programmes scale through part-container and full 20ft (approx. 19 tonnes) or 40ft (approx. 21 tonnes) FCL shipments for distributors and larger roasting operations. Pricing is quoted against the ICE "C" market plus an origin/quality differential specific to the region, screen size, and cup classification selected, so buyers always know what they're paying relative to the benchmark price.

Green coffee is exported from Brazil primarily through the Port of Santos — the largest coffee export port in the world — with secondary volume moving through Paranaguá and Vitória (for Espírito Santo Conilon). Ocean freight transit runs approximately 3–5 weeks to European ports, 3–4 weeks to the US East Coast, and 4–6 weeks to Asia-Pacific destinations. From order confirmation, pilot pallet orders typically ship within 2–3 weeks; full container programmes run 4–8 weeks depending on lot availability and consolidation requirements. Brazil's mature export infrastructure and high shipping frequency make it one of the most logistically reliable origins to build a repeat supply programme around.

Standard documentation for Brazilian coffee wholesale includes the Certificate of Origin, phytosanitary certificate, and a cupping/quality report tied to the specific lot. For buyers targeting specialty, organic, or sustainability-driven retail channels, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ (now merged) certified lots are widely available from Brazil given the scale of certified farming there, along with organic-certified lots primarily from smaller Cerrado and Mantiqueira producers. Candora Trading provides full lot documentation with every shipment and can source specifically against Rainforest Alliance, organic, or conventional specifications depending on the buyer's retail or private label requirements.

Brazil's coffee harvest runs May through September, with the bulk of fresh crop reaching export condition between June and October. Because Brazil is a biennial-cycle producer (alternating higher and lower yield years), buyers building long-term supply programmes should plan volume commitments with this cycle in mind — Candora Trading advises clients on crop-year timing so pricing and availability expectations stay realistic through both high and low cycles.

Candora Trading structures Brazilian green coffee supply around what growing businesses actually need: a pilot-friendly entry point, transparent pricing against the ICE benchmark, and full documentation on every lot. We work with vetted exporters across Minas Gerais, Cerrado, São Paulo, and Espírito Santo, so buyers can access the right regional profile — soft-cup Arabica for filter and specialty programmes, or Conilon for espresso blends — without managing multiple origin relationships directly.