A powerful earthquake in Colombia has affected coffee exports — Bloomberg
A powerful earthquake in Colombia disrupted operations at the port of Buenaventura and blocked key roads, causing a significant portion of coffee export operations to be suspended. Asoexport stated that the timeline for resuming shipments remains uncertain at this time.
Coffee exports from Colombia have been largely suspended following a powerful earthquake that disrupted operations at the country’s main port and caused road closures on key highways.
Buenaventura, Colombia’s main coffee export port, is effectively inaccessible due to blocked roads, particularly near the tunnels on the Cali–Buenaventura highway.
“Coffee operations are currently suspended. Isolated operations may be possible, but coffee exports have been halted for now. There is currently no specific official announcement regarding when the road will be fully reopened,” said Gustavo Gomez, president of Asoexport.
Port terminals are assessing the damage and have suspended or limited coffee intake. Other ports along the country’s Caribbean coast have not experienced serious disruptions, but rerouting coffee is being hampered by a shortage of trucks.
Arabica coffee futures in New York fell sharply from multi-week highs as traders assess the potential impact of the earthquake on supply and logistics.
Colombia produced 13.4 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee in 2025. The current disruption is particularly problematic because the harvest is concentrated in the country’s southern regions, specifically Cauca, Nariño, Valle del Cauca, and Huili. A significant portion of this coffee is typically 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, communication problems, and the impact on workers, including those who have lost their homes,” Gomez noted.
Even after roads and operations are restored, exports may face additional delays due to a backlog of cargo. Colombia exports about 1 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee each month, so every day of disruption could delay significant volumes of shipments.
Source: Bloomberg
The death toll from the earthquake in Colombia has risen to 254.
As a reminder, 169 people were killed and more than 3,000 are missing in Colombia following the earthquake.
