Venezuelan coffee: regions, varieties and protected origins

Venezuelan coffee grows mainly in three Andean states —Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo— and along the Lara-Portuguesa axis, with smaller volumes in Monagas, Sucre and Barinas. Four geographical indications are recognised by the country's intellectual property office, SAPI: Café de Boconó, Café de Mérida, Café de Miranda and Café de Lara. Production fell steadily for two decades, but since 2019 there are signs of recovery, including a new variety —Monte Claro— that has scored well in international cuppings.

Where it grows

Venezuelan coffee growing started near Caracas in the 18th century and moved towards the Andes from 1870, when that region began to concentrate the crop. On 1988-1993 production figures —the breakdown most often cited by federal entity— Táchira accounted for 20% of the national total, Mérida for 13%, Trujillo for 12%, Lara for 9%, Portuguesa for 9%, Monagas for 7%, Sucre for 4% and Barinas for 3% (BiblioFEP, Fundación Empresas Polar).

That map is still roughly today's: the Andes and the Lara-Portuguesa axis hold the growing, while roasters and packers —the other end of the chain— sit closer to consumption, in cities such as Caracas, Valencia and Maracaibo.

How much is produced, and how that changed

Venezuela peaked at 91,577 tonnes in 2001 (FAO figures reported by Transparencia Venezuela). By 2014 the figure had fallen to 43,856 tonnes, a 47% drop. The trend continued: according to Fedeagro, 2022 output amounted to 383,000 sixty-kilo bags —around 23,000 tonnes—, more than 60% below the historical peak (FoodNewsLatam).

Since 2019, de facto dollarisation and looser price and distribution controls have coincided with more roasters and coffee shops in the country, and with the first new exports from small producers. The main international buyers of Venezuelan coffee are the United States and Turkey, according to 2022 data from the Venezuelan-American Chamber of Commerce and Import Genius, a firm that records customs information.

Which varieties are grown

The traditional varieties of the Venezuelan Andes are typica and bourbon, with caturra and catuaí on more recent farms. Under the historical export name "Maracaibos" —after the port the coffee left through for Europe and the United States— regional sub-varieties were grouped: Cúcuta, Mérida, Trujillo and Táchira, each with a different cup profile. Mérida with medium body and restrained sweetness; Táchira and Cúcuta with more acidity and medium body, sometimes with fruit notes.

One recent development joins that base: Monte Claro, bred by the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) in Táchira over 40 years and patented in 2013. It tolerates leaf rust —one of the diseases that has hit Andean coffee hardest— and at a tasting in Caracas it scored 90.11 out of 100 among 186 samples of different origins, a score in specialty range.

The four protected geographical indications

A Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) recognises that a product's quality or reputation is due, essentially or exclusively, to its geographical origin. SAPI —the country's intellectual property office— has granted four to Venezuelan coffee:

• Café de Boconó (Trujillo). The country's first coffee PGI, granted to Boconó producers after an application by the associations Oro Verde (Asover) and Café de la Montaña (Cafemsa).
• Café de Mérida.
• Café de Miranda.
• Café de Lara. The most recent of the four resolutions includes physicochemical testing, a sensory profile and a technical study of micro-regions as part of the file.

A PGI is not a trademark: a regulatory board controls it with support from public institutions, and it holds only as long as the characteristics behind it are maintained. For a buyer, a listing that mentions one of these four names is making a checkable claim rather than a decorative label: the SAPI resolution behind it can be requested.

What to ask when origin matters

If origin or denomination is part of what you are paying for, three questions separate a claim from a check:

1. Is the denomination registered, or is it just the name of the area? Coffee from Mérida does not automatically carry the Café de Mérida PGI: those are two different things, and worth keeping apart when you quote.
2. Which variety is it, exactly? Typica, bourbon, caturra, catuaí and Monte Claro behave differently in the cup, and a supplier who knows that precisely usually knows their own lot too.
3. Which harvest is it from? Coffee has an age, and in green beans it shows as much as variety does.

Why this directory does not list coffee companies yet

Unlike cacao and chocolate —the directory's most developed sector, with several listings published— Vzlamade's coffee hub is still being built: we have not confirmed a single coffee company against a public source that meets our verification standard, so we would rather publish nothing than invent a data point. If you need to quote Venezuelan coffee today, post your requirement and we will look for you; if you run a Venezuelan coffee company, list it — it is free and the basic plan publishes up to 15 products.

For the rest of the buying process, two sister guides cover what comes next: how to buy from Venezuelan suppliers, step by step and how to verify a Venezuelan supplier before paying.

Frequently asked questions

Which states produce the most coffee in Venezuela?

Historically Táchira, Mérida and Trujillo hold most of the production, followed by the Lara-Portuguesa axis. That is the breakdown in the 1988-1993 production figures collected by Fundación Empresas Polar, and it is still roughly the current map.

What does it mean for a coffee to hold a Protected Geographical Indication?

That SAPI verified, through a technical file, that its quality or reputation is tied to a specific geographical origin. Four Venezuelan coffees hold that protection today: Boconó, Mérida, Miranda and Lara.

Has coffee production in Venezuela grown or fallen?

It fell steadily from the 2001 peak (91,577 t) to a fraction of that by 2022 (around 23,000 t, according to Fedeagro), but since 2019 there are more roasters, coffee shops and the first new exports from small producers.

What is the Monte Claro variety?

An arabica variety developed by INIA in Táchira over 40 years, patented in 2013, tolerant to leaf rust and scored at 90.11 out of 100 in an international cupping.

Updated 2026-09-16