Taiwan business delegation to buy 720,000 kg of Guatemalan coffee

Guatemala City, March 3 (CNA) A trade office affiliated with Taiwan government said Monday that a group of Taiwanese coffee importers visiting Guatemala plans to purchase 720,000 kilograms of coffee beans from the country -- a nearly 50 percent increase from last year.

Violeta S. H. Hsu (徐韶慧), director of the Central America Trade Office (CATO), said 13 businesses are participating in the "2025 Central America Coffee Economic and Trade Inspection Group" that the trade office organized.

Established in 1997, CATO focuses on trade relations and promotions between Taiwan and its Central American allies. The office is supported by a development fund, which is managed by board directors consisting of the foreign ministers of Taiwan and the countries designated in an agreement.

As a result of the ongoing trip, which has included visits arranged by Guatemala's National Coffee Association (ANACAFE), the group will procure enough coffee to fill 38 shipping containers, said Hsu, head of the delegation.

"This shows Taiwanese consumers' love for Guatemalan coffee, and highlights the abundant business opportunities between Taiwan and Guatemala," she said.

Hsu also said that coffee beans imported from Guatemala accounted for more than 10 percent of Taiwan's total coffee consumption, making the south American country the fourth-largest coffee exporter to Taiwan.

The group will visit Guatemala's high-altitude Huehuetenango region to observe production processes from planting to roasting, and meet with local people involved in farming, processing and exporting the caffeinated commodity, CATO said.

In May last year, China announced a ban on the import of macadamia nuts and coffee beans from Guatemala, a move viewed as economic pressure intended to persuade the central American nation to cut diplomatic ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing.

Guatemala is one of Taiwan's 12 remaining diplomatic allies.

In response, Taipei took measures to boost imports of Guatemalan coffee to Taiwan in an attempt to help its diplomatic ally mitigate the effects of Beijing's economic coercion.

According to data from the Bank of Guatemala, Guatemala's coffee exports to Taiwan exceeded US$18 million in 2024, a 13 percent increase from 2023. Coffee has become the country's second-largest export product to Taiwan, following sugar.

Guatemala's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Julio Eduardo Orozco Pérez thanked Taiwan for its assistance countering Chinese "economic coercion" during an official visit to Taipei in August last year.