Coffee exports from Colombia have largely been put on hold after a devastating earthquake disrupted operations at the country's main port and caused road closures on key highways, the head of a coffee exporters' group said, UNN reports, citing Bloomberg.
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Buenaventura, Colombia's main coffee export port, is effectively inaccessible because of several blocked roads, especially around tunnels along the Cali-Buenaventura highway, a key route to the country's Pacific coast, Gustavo Gómez, head of Asoexport, said in an interview.
"Coffee operations are currently suspended. Some individual operations may be possible, but at this point coffee export operations are halted," Gómez said. "At this point, there is no specific official information on when the road will be fully reopened," he added.
Port terminal operators are assessing the damage and have suspended or limited coffee-receiving operations. Other ports in Cartagena and Santa Marta on Colombia's Caribbean coast have not reported serious disruptions, but redirecting coffee north has been complicated by a severe shortage of trucks.
The disruptions are being exacerbated by the concentration of transport companies and processing facilities in the country's coffee-growing region near the area affected by the earthquake, where operations have also been disrupted.
Arabica coffee futures in New York fell sharply from multi-week highs to slight losses as traders assessed the potential impact on supplies and logistics of the earthquake that struck the world's second-largest producer of premium beans. Colombia's coffee production reached 13.4 million 60-kilogram bags in 2025.
Although Colombia produces coffee across much of the country, the timing of the disruptions is particularly problematic because the harvest is currently concentrated in the southern regions, including Cauca, Nariño, Valle del Cauca, and Huila. Much of this coffee is normally exported through Buenaventura.
"Processing facilities are still assessing the damage. So far, there have been no reports of serious structural damage to coffee mills, but operations are being affected by power outages, communications problems, and the personal consequences for workers, including people who have lost their homes," Gómez said.
Even after roads and facilities resume operations, exports may face further delays as accumulated coffee begins moving again, potentially creating congestion and bottlenecks at ports. Colombia exports around 1 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee per month, meaning that each day of disruption could delay significant volumes of shipments.
"This will ultimately lead to delivery delays and also put pressure on the supply chain once everything begins to recover and operations resume," Gómez said.