It seems like yesterday I was writing about coffee import shipping challenges post COVID-19 pandemic and the state of the global shipping industry. Luckily, for most of 2023, “shipping” and “challenges” were two words that didn’t really go hand in hand. 2024, on the other hand, is gearing up to be a bit trickier to predict.

With ongoing conflict in the Red Sea and what seems to be supply outpacing demand on a global scale, one can only speculate how this year will shape up to be. Keep reading to understand our approach at Royal New York to safeguard against shipping challenges, as well for our 2024 coffee origin arrival guide.

2024 Coffee Import Concerns: The Red Sea

Our partners on the West Coast wrote a great blog recently on the current conflict in the Red Sea. If you’re not aware, the Red Sea is a major shipping lane that services many facets of global trade. Maersk, a leading shipping and logistics company in the area, recently stopped all calls out of Djibouti, the port Ethiopia uses to export their coffee. Since there are limited steamship companies servicing the area, we anticipate continued delays heading into the busier export season. That being said, CMA and MSC are still available out of Djibouti. This could have massive implications for Ethiopia and the flow of coffee out of the area, depending on the length of the current conflict.

Unfortunately, it’s still too early to completely understand the final impact of the Red Sea conflict. However, one thing is for sure: if you’re not covered through at least May or June on coffees from Ethiopia, we recommend you connect with your trader to secure your forward needs.

2024 Coffee Import Origin Arrival Guide

With that, here is a snapshot of our guide to upcoming coffee arrivals!

Ethiopia

Most coffees harvested this past November and December are on pace with the new crop from Ethiopia. At Royal New York, we had February shipments of washed and natural coffees ready to set sail with Maersk. However, because of the ongoing Red Sea conflict, those coffees will not ship in February. We hope other shipping lines are available, and our outbound team is working hard to get these coffees on course to RNY.

Transit to the East Coast of the United States is typically is 45-60 days. If we are successful at shipping coffee in March, we expect the arrival timeframe to be closer to May. Book your coffees now from our current offerings to maintain your availability for your menu needs! Stay in touch with your trader and look out for updates from us on any changes to this current timeframe of arrivals.

East Africa (Burundi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya)

Main crop coffees from Burundi, Tanzania, and Rwanda are either instore or will be landing soon. These coffees are fresh and taste great! Fresh arrivals from Kenya and Uganda will be arriving in the next 10-14 days. These coffees will be arriving consistently through June as the main crop of their harvest for exports is happening now.

Indonesia

During the COVID-19 pandemic and a few years after, Indonesia was one of the most affected areas of the world in terms of importing coffee to the United States. Freight costs were extreme, and coffee took double, and in some cases, triple the amount of time to come in, causing many a lot of stress. In 2023, we were all grateful when that changed for the better.

We’ll be monitoring this area in the weeks and months to come, as the Red Sea conflict could certainly cause some logistical constraints with transit times and availability. As of now, coffee is flowing smoothly into the East Coast of the U.S with the main crop arriving, and the coffees looking and tasting great!

Sumatra

Late rains affected yields, causing a delay in the arrival of new crop Sumatran coffees. What was a typical October or November shipment from their main crop didn’t end up shipping until December or January. After a two-month voyage, these coffees have started to arrive. We have all noticed the freshness by the look of the jade green prep and quality on the cupping table! Because of that, we recommend you start booking your Sumatran coffees ASAP.

Central America (Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama)

New crop coffees from Central America are upon us! The lower altitude (HG & HB) coffees are currently funneling in. These coffees are great for blending or for dark roast options. Higher altitude coffees (SHG & SHB) are currently resting in parchment and being prepared for export over the next month or so. We anticipate these to arrive in late March or early April. Overall transit and availability are looking strong! Since many countries are logistically so close to the U.S., we sometimes see a container set sail and land within 10-14 days.

On the other hand, labor at ports can sometimes be strapped. Unfortunately, this can lead to another 7-10 days for customs to release the container to us for arrival into our warehouse. Considering where we sat a few years back, this isn’t bad overall. Start connecting with your trader to discuss coverage now through next arrivals to maintain availability.

South America (Colombia, Brazil)

The flow of coffee from Colombia and Brazil is steady. Main crop coffees from Antioquia, Huila, and Sierra Nevada are rolling in, and Brazil is still maintaining large volumes of exports, not only of Arabica, but Conilon (robusta), mostly to fill the void of yields from Vietnam and Indonesia. At Royal New York, we source coffee from sitios (small farms) in Brazil that are of high quality and lesser volume. Get your hands on some of these coffees before they run out!

Stay Tuned for More Coffee Import Updates

Team Royal New York is traveling throughout Colombia and Central America from February – April, looking to source excellent coffees from small and large farms. We would love to talk to you about our sourcing and all of the exciting new coffees we plan on bringing in this year! To start, we recommend you review your projections with your trader. We’ll help make sure that you’re covered with your current position and that you have the coffees you want until they arrive again!

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