According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, among the 15 largest buyers of Vietnamese coffee over the past 10 months, exports to Mexico recorded a sudden surge in both volume and value. Mexico became the market with the strongest growth, with export value rising 34.7 times year-on-year.
Farmers harvest coffee in Dak Lak Province.
Data from the General Department of Customs showed that Mexico imported 37,627 tonnes of Vietnamese coffee worth USD 195.2 million in the 2024/2025 crop year (from October 2024 to September 2025), up 13.5 times in volume and 16.7 times in value from the 2023/2024 crop year.
The Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (Vicofa) described this as an “exceptional” increase for a nation that is already the eighth-largest coffee exporter worldwide. A report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimated Mexico’s coffee output at 3.87 million bags in the 2024/2025 crop year, including 3.53 million bags of Arabica and 340,000 bags of Robusta. Green coffee exports are forecast to reach 1.39 million bags, indicating no domestic supply shortage.
According to expert Nguyen Quang Binh, the surge is mainly due to the United States imposing a 50 per cent tariff on Brazilian coffee, prompting American roasters to shift to importing Arabica from Mexico. As a result, Mexican businesses sold their Arabica to the US and turned to importing Robusta from Vietnam for domestic consumption. “With Arabica currently priced 1.5 times higher than Robusta, Mexico selling Arabica and buying Robusta is understandable,” Binh said.
Vicofa assessed Mexico as a high-potential market for Vietnamese agricultural products, particularly coffee. Around 80 per cent of Mexican households consume instant coffee, which is primarily made from Robusta, the variety in which Vietnam leads the world in exports.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade noted that aside from supply-demand factors, the strong performance of coffee exports also stems from domestic enterprises investing in processing technology, helping Vietnamese instant coffee gain wider acceptance in markets such as Mexico.
USDA forecasts that Mexico will import around 1.93 million bags of coffee in the 2025/2026 crop year, up 4.04 per cent year-on-year. However, Vicofa recommends that Vietnamese exporters prioritise product quality and technical standards, as Mexico maintains strict import requirements.