Panama

Panama's coffee comes almost entirely from Chiriquí province, in Boquete, Volcán and Renacimiento on the flanks of Volcán Barú, where mist called bajareque slows ripening. Volume is small and has fallen since the 1990s, but Panama became the centre of the specialty market after Hacienda La Esmeralda's Gesha won a national competition in 2004.

Arabica Harvesting in November

Production 2026/27
100kbags6,000 t · USDA PSD
Exports 2026/27
30kbags30% of the harvest
Arabica share
100%
World rank
34of 400.1% of origin output
Area harvested 2024
14khaFAOSTAT
Altitude
1,000–1,650m

Production and exports

60 kg bags · USDA PSD market years
050k100k150k200k250k201020122014201620182020202220242026Production100kExports30kDomestic use200k
050k100k150k200k250k’10’20Production100kExports30kDomestic use200k

Market years 2010/11 to 2026/27; the last year is USDA's current estimate. Domestic use is PSD's domestic consumption line.

Area harvested, hectares · FAOSTAT

10k15k20k25k30k’10’15’20Area14k

FAOSTAT crops and livestock products, item green coffee (CC BY 4.0). Values flagged as estimates by FAO are included as published.

Where the coffee goes

Supply and use
USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Production, Supply and Distribution (PSD), market years. Supply on the left equals use on the right.
Stocks carried in0
Production100k
Imports130k
Exports30k
Domestic use200k
Stocks carried out0
Share of the harvest exported30%
Rank among producing origins by exports33 of 37

Where the exports go is not published here. Shipments by destination, including US imports from Panama, come from USITC DataWeb and the Census trade API, which need credentials we do not hold yet.

Harvest

Harvest calendar for every origin
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Main cropTypical US arrival

  • Whole country · main cropNov–Mar · US May–Jul

    Cafe Imports November-March with April-July arrivals; Mercanta November to early March with May-July arrivals.

Growing regions

3 regions

Varieties, processing and grading

Main varieties

GeshaCatuaíCaturraTypicaBourbonMundo NovoPache

Common processing

Washed (wet, fully washed)Natural (dry process)

Export grading

Central American and Mexican altitude grades (SHB/HB, SHG/HG, Altura)

ICO certifying agent: Ministerio de Desarrollo Agropecuario

Character and protected names

Flavour tendencies

Panamanian Gesha is intensely floral and tea-like with jasmine and bergamot notes, closer to a fine Ethiopian than to a typical Central American, while Caturra and Catuai lots are mild and sweet with a gentle nuttiness.

General tendencies from importer origin notes, not a promise about any lot. The claims behind them are listed with their sources at the foot of the page.

Geographical indications and protected names

None recorded for Panama.