In the United States, criminal groups posing as transportation companies commit thefts. Costly to specify that these fictitious companies operate in the market, trying to obtain small contracts from importers, offering better prices or providing instant trucks. "Importers should be cautious when choosing whom to work with. Stolen coffee beans become increasingly prevalent in the USA, the largest importer of this commodity in the world, where its prices reached a historical maximum last year, according to transportation companies. The USA is the largest coffee consumer in the world. As soon as they receive coffee, they disappear."
Each truck carries about 44 thousand pounds (19,958 kg) of green coffee, the market value of which currently amounts to around 180 thousand dollars. Some market participants believe that bandits are trying to sell beans at lower prices, which hit significant growth. Todd Costley, logistics coordinator at the company "Hartley Transport," said Reuters: "Last year there were dozens of thefts, which rarely occurred earlier."
There have been reports of coffee thefts in producing countries such as Brazil and Vietnam, typically found on farms where beans are temporarily stored after harvest, such places are more susceptible to risk due to their isolation. According to local police data, armed individuals stole 500 bags of coffee worth around 230 thousand dollars from a farm in the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil in January. Since coffee production is limited to certain warm regions, the USA is forced to import almost 100% of its coffee, moving millions of bags from ports to roasting plants, primarily via trucks.
