Colombia 2025/26 Harvest Update

This article at a glance

• Weather in early 2025 weakened the main flowering
• Coffee flow is expected to taper from January onward
• Current prices are supporting better on-farm practices
• Two school water filters are now operating thanks to Sucafina Originals

Harvest outlook

“The situation for this 25/26 cycle is very different than the 2024/25,” says Oscar Fernando Hurtado, Global Head of Production Research. Excess rain in the first trimester of 2025 reduced both the quantity and quality of the main flowerings. Our on-field team has finalized the second crop tour and found a reduction of between 0.7m to 1.0m bags, mainly during the main crop season.

With that in mind, harvest should start in October, with the main flow expected in and December, when most volumes move. From January, flow will likely taper off, meaning the first trimester of 2026 should be lighter than the same period of 2025.

Colombia is moving through the second main flowering that feeds the next mitaca. Results are mixed so far. Southern regions look solid while central and northern areas are trending lower. Monitoring through November will confirm the outlook regarding flowering and its impact on cherry volumes. For now, mitaca expectations remain relatively pessimistic given the ongoing La Nina weather conditions.

Regulations in thespotlight

EUDR prep is no longer a new topic for the sector. Farmers and companies report more comfort with systems than a year ago, helped by price levels that support better farm work. “Many producers have raised fertilization rates,” adds Oscar Fernando, “along with intensified pruning and strengthened pest and disease control.” These steps point to a firmer quality outlook for this main crop and add resilience for the next cycle.

Betting on responsible sourcing & community investment

We're reaching more farmers across Colombia through IMPACT, Sucafina’s responsible sourcing program. Since 2023, we have verified 24 producer groups. In total, we estimate 19,525 growers with a verified volume of 1,156,588,479 bags of green coffee.

Through the Coffee for Clean Water initiative, purchases of Bochica, Huitaca and Tumbaga Colombia Sucafina Originals are funding water filtration systems in farming communities. In February a system in Los Medios Caldas began serving 70 families and 25 children and cut waterborne illness from 15 percent to zero. In August a new system came online at Nuestra Señora del Carmen school in Catatumbo, improving health for 300 children and their families, as well as teachers and staff. Next, we plan to install systems at two schools served by Global Cafés Coffee Growers Cooperative, a partner with two verified chains covering 479 verified farms and 34,129 bags. The group was the first in Colombia to meet EUDR requirements.

We’re also partnering with El Bombo Cooperative to support women in coffee through the Women and Coffee Project. Funded by purchases of Asobombo ‘Mujeres’ coffees, the program provides leadership, food security and quality training to 85 women in Huila and Cauca. More than 300 people are expected to benefit from this work by the end of 2025.

Carbon impact and deforestation risk mapping

We continue to screen farms for deforestation risk and track carbon impact. The Cool Farm Tool and updated mapping from MEO Carbon Solutions help ensure EUDR compliance while giving us better ground-level insight in Colombia. We’re advancing due diligence and risk management at scale with 92% of alerts closed by desk review and more than 3,000 farmer visits completed to validate land use and support legality compliance. We have taken 43 carbon footprint measurements so far and will expand coverage to improve accuracy.

If you want to talk timing, volumes or positioning for the first quarter of 2026, reach out to your trader and we’ll map a plan that fits you. We’ll keep sharing updates as the cycle unfolds.