This book offers the first comprehensive analysis of the transformation of the Brazilian coffee economy since 1960, one of the most significant yet understudied developments in modern economic history. Moving beyond classic accounts of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century plantation expansion, it traces how Brazil responded to crises through state intervention, technological innovation and institutional reform. Drawing on economic history, development economics and agricultural studies, the authors examine how mechanization, scientific research, crop diversification and shifting regional production patterns reshaped the sector and enabled Brazil to maintain its position as the world’s leading coffee producer.

Situating Brazilian coffee within global commodity chains and changing patterns of consumption, the book explores the transition from a state-controlled system to a competitive, market-oriented agribusiness embedded in global trade networks. It also highlights the emergence of new production frontiers and value-added industries, including roasting and soluble coffee. By combining regional analysis with a broader political economy perspective, this study provides a vital contribution to debates on agricultural modernization, export-led development and globalization in Latin America. It will be valuable reading for scholars in economic history, Latin American studies, agricultural economics and global development.

Herbert S. Klein is Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University and a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. A leading scholar of Latin American economic and social history, his work spans Brazil, Bolivia and the Atlantic world. He has authored or co-authored numerous influential books on slavery, demographic change and agricultural development, including Feeding the World and Brazilian Crops in the Global Market.

Francisco Vidal Luna is Professor of Economics at the Universidade de São Paulo and a Research Fellow at the Instituto de Pesquisas Econômicas (FIPE). His research focuses on Brazilian economic history, agrarian systems and development policy. He has held senior public policy roles in São Paulo and co-authored multiple major works on Brazil’s economic transformation, contributing extensively to debates on agricultural change and global markets.