Saudi Arabia’s coffee industry is entering a new phase. The Kingdom is investing in domestic coffee cultivation, developing specialty coffee culture, and expanding its network of local roasters. At the same time, Saudi Arabia remains highly dependent on imported green coffee beans from major producing countries, including Brazil and Ethiopia.
This creates an important question for the modern coffee market: how important should imported coffee beans remain as Saudi Arabia develops its own coffee identity?
The title “Brazilian Coffee Roasters Criticize the Importance of Imported Saudi Beans” suggests a direct dispute between Brazilian roasters and Saudi coffee producers. However, available trade and industry evidence does not establish a broad public campaign by Brazilian roasters against Saudi coffee. Instead, the more useful discussion is about coffee origin, imports, local production, roasting, consumer preferences, and the changing economics of the Saudi coffee market.
For coffee businesses, the debate is not simply about Brazil versus Saudi Arabia. It is about how different origins can coexist in an increasingly sophisticated coffee ecosystem.
Saudi Arabia’s Coffee Market Is Built Around Multiple Origins
Saudi Arabia has a long-standing relationship with coffee through Arabic coffee, or qahwa, but the modern specialty coffee market has introduced consumers to beans from Africa, South America, Central America and Asia.
Trade data illustrates the scale of this international supply chain. In 2024, Saudi Arabia imported approximately 83.7 million kilograms of unroasted, non-decaffeinated coffee, valued at about $400.7 million. Brazil supplied approximately 8.43 million kilograms, worth about $38.2 million. Ethiopia remained the largest supplier by a significant margin.
Looking at the broader HS 0901 coffee category, Saudi Arabia imported approximately $606 million worth of coffee products in 2024. Brazil accounted for approximately $51 million, making it one of the country’s significant coffee trading partners.
These figures demonstrate that imported Brazilian coffee is not a marginal product in Saudi Arabia. Brazilian beans are already part of the country’s commercial and specialty coffee landscape.
Why Brazilian Coffee Matters to Saudi Roasters
Brazil is one of the world’s most important coffee-producing countries, and Brazilian coffee has become particularly useful to international roasters because of its scale, variety and broad range of flavor profiles.
Brazilian coffees are frequently associated with chocolate, nutty, caramel and balanced flavor characteristics, although the actual profile depends on the growing region, coffee variety, altitude, processing method and roast profile.
For Saudi coffee roasters, Brazilian green coffee can provide several practical advantages.
Consistency
Commercial and specialty coffee businesses need dependable supply. Brazil’s enormous coffee industry gives international buyers access to substantial volumes across multiple producing regions.
Blending Potential
Brazilian coffee can work effectively in espresso blends because its body and sweetness can complement other origins.
Consumer Familiarity
Brazilian coffee has become increasingly recognizable among Saudi specialty coffee consumers. A 2019 Arab News report on Saudi coffee specialist Sara Al-Ali highlighted consumer interest in Brazilian coffee and described Brazilian beans as particularly suitable for milk-based beverages and Turkish coffee.
Price and Supply Considerations
For professional roasters, coffee purchasing is not determined by taste alone. Green coffee prices, transportation, availability, crop conditions, currency movements and long-term supply relationships all influence sourcing decisions.
Research published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems found that Saudi Arabia’s Brazilian green coffee imports have shown steady growth. The study estimated average Brazilian green coffee imports at about 2,120 tonnes annually over its research period and found Brazilian coffee represented around 5% of Saudi Arabia’s green coffee expenditure.
But Does Saudi Arabia Need More Local Coffee?
This is where the conversation becomes more complicated.
Saudi Arabia is not simply importing coffee indefinitely without developing domestic production.
The Kingdom has been investing in its own coffee sector, particularly in the southern Jazan region. The Saudi Coffee Company, established in 2022 and owned by the Public Investment Fund, has objectives that include developing sustainable coffee production and supporting coffee-related activities ranging from production and processing to green coffee import and re-export.
That does not mean Saudi-grown coffee will immediately replace imported Brazilian, Ethiopian or Colombian beans.
Instead, Saudi Arabia can develop a dual coffee ecosystem:
- locally grown Saudi coffee
- imported green coffee
- Saudi specialty coffee roasters
- international coffee partnerships
- traditional Arabic coffee
- modern espresso culture
- specialty brewing
- premium single-origin products
This model gives consumers more choice rather than forcing the market to depend on a single origin.
Imported Beans Versus Saudi-Grown Coffee
The phrase “imported Saudi beans” can also create confusion.
Saudi Arabia imports coffee beans into the country, but imported beans are not necessarily “Saudi beans.” Coffee origin refers primarily to where the coffee was grown and produced, not where it was imported, roasted or packaged.
For example, a Saudi roastery can purchase Brazilian green coffee, roast it in Riyadh and sell it as Brazilian-origin coffee roasted in Saudi Arabia.
Similarly, a Saudi-grown coffee can be cultivated in Jazan and roasted locally or elsewhere.
This distinction matters for consumers searching for:
Saudi coffee beans, Brazilian coffee beans in Saudi Arabia, Saudi specialty coffee, imported green coffee beans, and Brazilian specialty coffee in Riyadh.
Origin and roasting location are two different parts of the coffee supply chain.
Why Brazilian Roasters May Watch Saudi Arabia Closely
Even without evidence of a widespread Brazilian-roaster criticism campaign, Saudi Arabia is an important market to watch.
The Kingdom’s coffee sector is evolving from a predominantly traditional consumption culture into a market with increasing interest in specialty coffee, professional roasting and international origins.
For Brazilian coffee exporters and roasters, this creates both opportunities and competition.
If Saudi Arabia increases domestic coffee production, local beans could become more prominent in the national coffee identity.
However, local production does not necessarily eliminate the need for international coffee.
Coffee consumers increasingly expect variety.
One customer may prefer Ethiopian coffee with floral and fruit-forward characteristics. Another may prefer Colombian coffee. A third may want Brazilian coffee for espresso. Another may choose traditional Saudi coffee prepared with local customs and flavor traditions.
A diverse market can support all of these preferences simultaneously.
The Specialty Coffee Revolution Changes the Conversation
The Saudi specialty coffee industry has become increasingly sophisticated.
Consumers are paying greater attention to:
- coffee origin
- altitude
- variety
- processing method
- roast level
- roast date
- brewing technique
- tasting notes
- freshness
- sustainability
- traceability
Saudi specialty coffee businesses are therefore competing on more than simply the name of the country printed on a coffee bag.
A current example is the growing availability of Brazilian specialty coffee roasted inside Saudi Arabia. Saudi roasters are offering Brazilian coffees from regions such as Cerrado and Mogiana, demonstrating how imported green coffee can become part of a distinctly local roasting culture.
This creates an interesting middle ground between “imported coffee” and “Saudi coffee.”
The bean may originate in Brazil, but the roasting, packaging, brewing education and customer experience can all happen in Saudi Arabia.
Could Local Saudi Coffee Eventually Challenge Imports?
Possibly, but it is too early to describe domestic Saudi coffee as a complete replacement for imported coffee.
Agricultural production takes time. Coffee trees require appropriate environmental conditions, cultivation expertise, processing infrastructure and consistent investment.
Saudi Arabia’s domestic coffee strategy therefore needs to be viewed as a long-term development project rather than an immediate substitute for global coffee imports.
The country’s geography also means that domestic production is concentrated in particular agricultural regions rather than representing a nationwide coffee-growing industry.
Imported coffee can therefore continue to fill important gaps in volume, flavor diversity and commercial supply.
Brazil and Saudi Arabia Can Be Partners, Not Rivals
The debate does not need to become Brazil versus Saudi Arabia.
Brazil brings enormous coffee-production capacity, established export infrastructure and a wide variety of coffee profiles.
Saudi Arabia brings a historic coffee culture, a rapidly developing specialty coffee sector, investment in domestic agriculture and a growing consumer market.
Those strengths can complement each other.
A Saudi roaster can source Brazilian beans while simultaneously supporting Saudi-grown coffee.
A café can offer both Brazilian espresso and Saudi coffee.
A consumer can enjoy a Brazilian single-origin coffee one day and a Saudi-grown coffee the next.
This diversity is increasingly relevant as consumers become more interested in understanding where their coffee comes from.
What Saudi Coffee Consumers Should Look For
Consumers should avoid judging coffee purely by its country of origin.
A Brazilian coffee is not automatically better than an Ethiopian coffee, just as Saudi-grown coffee is not automatically better because it is locally produced.
Instead, consumers should consider:
1. Origin
Look for the specific country and, when available, the producing region.
2. Processing Method
Natural, washed and honey processing can produce significantly different flavor profiles.
3. Roast Date
Freshly roasted coffee generally offers a more informative tasting experience than coffee that has been sitting for an extended period.
4. Roast Level
Light, medium and dark roasting can dramatically influence flavor.
5. Variety
Arabica varieties can differ considerably in flavor, structure and agricultural characteristics.
6. Transparency
Good specialty coffee businesses should be able to explain where their beans came from and how they were processed.
7. Brewing Method
A coffee that works beautifully as espresso may behave differently as a pour-over or traditional Arabic coffee.
The Future of Saudi Coffee Is Probably More Diverse, Not Less
Saudi Arabia’s coffee future is unlikely to be defined by a single origin.
The country’s coffee market can simultaneously support Brazilian coffee imports, Ethiopian specialty coffee, Colombian beans, Saudi-grown coffee and other international origins.
Trade statistics already demonstrate the importance of international coffee sourcing. In 2024, Brazil was responsible for more than 8.4 million kilograms of Saudi Arabia’s unroasted, non-decaffeinated coffee imports.
At the same time, Saudi investment in domestic coffee production indicates a desire to strengthen the country’s own agricultural and coffee identity.
That combination is not necessarily a contradiction.
It may actually be the foundation of a stronger coffee market.
Final Thoughts
The idea that Brazilian coffee roasters are broadly criticizing the importance of imported Saudi beans should be treated carefully because available evidence does not establish such a general industry dispute.
What the evidence does show is more interesting.
Brazilian coffee remains an important part of Saudi Arabia’s imported coffee supply, while Saudi Arabia is simultaneously investing in domestic coffee production and developing a sophisticated local roasting culture.
The future is therefore unlikely to be a simple choice between imported Brazilian coffee and Saudi-grown beans.
Instead, the Saudi coffee market is moving toward greater diversity, stronger origin awareness and more sophisticated consumer choices.
For Brazilian coffee producers, Saudi Arabia represents an important specialty and commercial market. For Saudi coffee businesses, Brazilian beans offer another tool for creating distinctive blends and beverages. And for consumers, the growing competition between origins can mean one thing above all: more coffee choices, more transparency and a richer coffee experience.
