Global coffee prices ease in April as exports keep rising

The real question for roasters and café buyers is simple: does a lower ICO print mean cheaper beans on the shelf anytime soon? April said not so fast. The International Coffee Organization’s Composite Indicator Price averaged 266.24 US cents per pound, down 2.7% from March, but that easing landed inside a market still dealing with tight logistics, mixed export flows and stubborn stock pressure.

The ICO said traders were weighing two opposing forces. On one side was the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which the report said had been shut since March 4, helping push crude oil prices up 55.8% and shipping freight costs up 43.6% between February 27 and April 30. On the other side was a better global supply outlook, and the ICO judged that improvement to be the stronger force in April. For coffee buyers, that matters because freight, fertilizer and inland transport costs do not vanish just because the headline benchmark dips.

Trade volumes kept moving, too. World coffee exports of all forms reached 13.59 million bags in March 2026, up from 13.37 million bags in March 2025. Asia & Oceania drove the increase with exports up 13.1% to 5.82 million bags. The Caribbean, Mexico & Central America also rose 7.1% to 2.3 million bags. Africa slipped 14.7% to 1.4 million bags, while South America fell 8.3% to 4.07 million bags. That uneven map shows a market being pulled by regional shifts, not one clean global trend.

Price moves within the basket were just as mixed. Robusta fell 6.9% to 164.64 US cents per pound in April. Brazilian Naturals eased 2.1% to 313.76 cents, while Colombian Milds and Other Milds each slipped 0.9% to 334.56 cents and 331.32 cents, respectively. Under the surface, green bean exports told a more complicated story: robusta exports rose 24.0% to 5.52 million bags, while Colombian Milds dropped 33.8% to 0.88 million bags and Brazilian Naturals fell 16.8% to 2.71 million bags. The Arabicas’ share of total green bean exports for the first six months of coffee year 2025/26 fell to 59.6% from 64.5% a year earlier.

Stocks still looked tight enough to keep buyers cautious. London certified robusta inventories fell 5.5% from March to April to 0.65 million bags, and U.S. certified Arabica stocks fell 10.1% to 0.55 million bags. So yes, April brought a cooler ICO number. But for anyone waiting on cheaper retail beans or café drinks, the market is still saying the same thing: lower benchmarks can start the move, but they do not deliver the savings on the spot.