In 1721, the first coffeehouse opened in Berlin, marking the beginning of Germany's coffee industry, which started slowly amid policy restrictions but rose rapidly in the 19th century through Latin American plantations and immigrant networks. German merchants once controlled over 80% of Guatemala's coffee bean exports, and two world wars caused this coffee empire to rise and fall several times. After the war, Germany's economic recovery rebuilt its coffee trade position. Today, Germany is the world's second-largest coffee-consuming country, with per capita consumption far exceeding that of the United States. This article traces the complete trajectory of German coffee culture from its inception and expansion to its revival, suitable for readers interested in coffee history and industry dynamics.
In 1721, the first coffeehouse in Germany appeared in Berlin. However, before coffeehouse culture could fully spread across German lands, it encountered layers of restrictions from local authorities. As a result, the early path of the German coffee industry seemed relatively narrow compared to other European countries.
It was not until the early 19th century that coffee truly became one of the most profitable tools for Germans. By the mid-19th century, the abolitionist movement disrupted coffee cultivation in Latin America and Central America, prompting plantation owners who had relied on imported slaves to recruit labor from Europe, leading many German immigrants to Brazil and Guatemala. To attract immigrants, the Guatemalan government enacted land regulations in 1877 to assist in establishing German immigrant settlements, along with a ten-year income tax exemption and a six-year tariff reduction on production equipment. Under such preferential policies, by the end of the 19th century, Germans controlled 19% of Guatemala's coffee fields, producing 40% of the national total. Germans who accumulated wealth through cultivation also attracted fellow countrymen to invest in production areas and build railways for transporting beans. During the same period, German coffee merchants grew stronger and took control of the distribution rights for top-quality Latin American coffee beans. At least 80% of Guatemala's coffee beans were resold throughout Europe through German merchants.
However, the two world wars gave Germans the same coffee nightmare as their European neighbors—distant production areas, and once war broke out, maritime transport was blocked, plunging Europe into coffee shortages.
During World War I, the United States formally declared war on Germany in 1917. Brazil, because the U.S. promised to purchase 1 million bags of coffee beans as military rations, also declared war on Germany and arrested a number of Germans settled in Brazil. Meanwhile, the U.S. passed legislation to confiscate German assets in America. In 1918, Guatemala passed similar laws. Germany's coffee endeavors in Latin America suffered a major setback, while Americans took the opportunity to infiltrate. However, the coffee interests Germany lost in World War I were all regained in the early stages of World War II. In 1939, Hitler's blitzkrieg against Poland abruptly halted Europe's annual trade of 10 million bags of coffee. In 1940, Nazi troops swept across the European continent, all ports were closed, and the entire Europe (except Germany) fell into a coffee famine. But in the later stages of World War II, Brazil and Guatemala successively declared war on Germany, and the United States continued to nationalize German assets in Latin America. After the war, Germany's economy recovered rapidly, and its position in the coffee trade also rebounded.
Today, Germany is the world's second-largest coffee-consuming country, with consumption second only to the United States. When measured by per capita consumption, it far exceeds the United States.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
