Coffee Prices Today September 13: Arabica Hits 4-Month High, Robusta Extends Rally

Coffee prices surged strongly on major exchanges, with robusta rising for the third consecutive session to 4,817 USD/ton — its highest in one and a half weeks — while arabica reached a four-month peak at 410.65 US cents/pound.

Global Coffee Market Update

At the close of trading on September 12, robusta coffee futures on the London Exchange for September 2025 delivery climbed for the third straight session, adding 2.64% (124 USD/ton) to settle at 4,817 USD/ton. The November 2025 contract rose 1.77% (80 USD/ton) to 4,601 USD/ton.

On the New York Exchange, arabica futures for September 2025 delivery jumped 2.41% (9.65 US cents/pound) to 410.65 US cents/pound. The December 2025 contract gained 2.78% (10.75 US cents/pound), reaching 396.85 US cents/pound.

According to Reuters, arabica futures on ICE touched their highest level in four months, while robusta hit a one-and-a-half-week high, supported by tightening U.S. supplies following the imposition of a 50% tariff on Brazilian shipments.

An analyst from BMI commented:
“The main drivers of bullish sentiment remain concerns that Brazil’s harvest will be smaller than initially expected and the U.S. tariffs on Brazilian exports, which have contributed to lower inventory levels in the United States.”

Shrinking Coffee Inventories

ICE-monitored arabica stocks dropped to their lowest level in 16 months, standing at 669,225 bags as of September 12. Robusta inventories also fell to a two-week low of 6,557 lots, just above the seven-week low of 6,552 lots recorded on August 28.

The strengthening of Brazil’s real also supported coffee prices. On September 12, the currency reached its strongest level in 15 months against the U.S. dollar. A stronger real discourages Brazilian producers from selling beans for export.

Brazil’s Coffee Export Performance

According to Brazil’s Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafe), the country exported 3.14 million bags (60 kg each) of coffee in August, down 17.5% compared to the same month last year, marking the ninth consecutive month of decline.

• Green coffee exports fell 17.5% to 2.88 million bags, including 2.26 million bags of arabica (-11.2%) and 619,360 bags of robusta (-34.5%).
• Processed coffee exports dropped 17.6% to 266,933 bags, primarily instant coffee.

During the first eight months of 2025, Brazil’s total coffee exports declined 20.9% year-on-year to 25.3 million bags.

• Green coffee exports decreased 22.4% to 22.8 million bags, comprising 20.2 million arabica (-13%) and 2.6 million robusta (-58.1%).
• Processed coffee shipments saw a smaller drop of 3.6%, totaling 2.54 million bags.

Market Destinations

Brazil’s coffee exports to most major consuming markets fell in August, with the exception of Mexico, Japan, and Colombia, which recorded strong increases.

In the first eight months of 2025, exports to Brazil’s two largest markets — the U.S. and Germany — fell by 20.76% and 32.9%, respectively. Italy dropped 23.6% and Belgium plummeted 48.3%. Japan bucked the trend, posting a 15.57% increase.

Cecafe Chairman Márcio Ferreira noted that U.S. tariffs are having a visible impact on Brazil’s coffee trade.

“In August, the U.S. was no longer the top buyer of Brazilian coffee, falling to second place with 301,000 bags — mainly from contracts signed before tariffs took effect — down 46% from the same period last year and 26% from July,” Ferreira said.

Germany took the lead with 414,000 bags imported in August. Ferreira emphasized:
“Tariffs have disrupted the market and opened opportunities for speculative activity.”

Speaking to Reuters, Ferreira also stressed that the possibility of re-exporting green coffee beans to the U.S. through third countries is very low. While some processed coffee products are shipped to the U.S. from other nations, sending unroasted beans through intermediaries would be “easily detected by the U.S. government,” he warned.