Costa Rican coffee is well known for its high quality, and coffee production has historically been linked closely to the country’s national identity. Coffee exports have made an vital contribution to the country’s GDP until the mid-20th century. Since then, coffee production in Costa Rica has suffered different crises, such as the collapse of coffee prices in the world market in the 80s and, more recently, the re-emergence of Roya, a fungal disease that affected more than 60% of Costa Rican crops in 2013. Coffee is the major agricultural product in Costa Rica, grown in  over 20% of the country’s agricultural area (93,774 ha).

By law, the country allows the production of Arabica coffee only, and most production areas are located from 800 to 1,800 meters above sea level. The mountainous lands where coffee is grown and the costly manual labor result in high production costs. Other threats to the sector include urbanization processes, mainly in the greater region of the Central Valley of San José, which invades coffee-growing areas. Also, young people are  decreasingly interested in continuing coffee growing activities, especially in small farms. Additionally, the coffee sector is affected by high levels of soil acidity in some regions and threatened by climate change. Although coffee production suffered a 5% decrease since 2011, its productivity has grown as coffee production increased by 25% during said period.