Brazil's Black Frost of 1975 and the Coffee Price Shock
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On a cold July night in 1975, the coffee map of the world changed. An unusually strong mass of cold air pushed deep into southern Brazil, snow fell in places that rarely see it, and frost settled over the coffee farms of Paraná and São Paulo. This was the 1975 Brazil black frost. Brazilians call this kind of event a geada negra, a black frost: a cold so severe that leaves freeze from the inside and turn black within days. By the time the damage was counted, roughly 1.5 billion coffee trees were dead or ruined.
The frost sent coffee prices on one of the steepest climbs in the commodity’s history. Green coffee that traded below 60 cents a pound in mid-July 1975 hit $3.36 in April 1977, supermarket coffee passed $4 a pound, and Americans started a coffee boycott. Here is how it unfolded and why it still matters.
Key takeaways
- The killing frost struck in mid-July 1975; a Brazilian academic study dates it to July 18, 1975, with snow reported on July 17 and 18.
- Around 1.5 billion trees were lost, and the following harvest fell by about 60%.
- Arabica futures rose from about 57–59 cents a pound in July 1975 to a peak of $3.36 in April 1977.
- US coffee consumption fell about 15% in a year as shoppers protested, and New York officials called for a boycott.
- Paraná’s coffee production never returned to its earlier highs.
In this article
- What happened in July 1975
- Why it is called a black frost
- 1975 Brazil black frost: coffee prices timeline
- The 1977 coffee boycott
- Long-term effects on Brazilian coffee
- Lessons for today
- FAQ
What happened in July 1975
Brazil was, then as now, the world’s largest coffee producer, and much of its coffee grew further south than it does today, in northern Paraná and in São Paulo state. These regions produce excellent coffee in most years, but they sit close to the limit of where coffee trees can survive the southern winter.
In mid-July 1975 a strong mass of cold air swept north over the coffee belt. Snow fell over parts of southern Brazil on Thursday, July 17, and into Friday. A Brazilian study of coffee farming in Paraná dates the decisive frost to July 18, 1975. Whatever the exact hour, the result was devastating: across the two states, between half and two-thirds of Brazil’s coffee trees were killed or so badly damaged that they had to be cut back or replaced, roughly 1.5 billion trees in total.
Timing softened the immediate blow. About two-thirds of the 1975 crop had already been picked when the cold arrived. The real damage was to the future: dead trees produce nothing, and a newly planted coffee tree needs several years before it bears a full crop.
Why it is called a black frost
A normal frost leaves a white coating of ice crystals on leaves and grass. In a black frost the air is so dry and cold that little visible ice forms, yet the plant tissue itself freezes. Cells rupture, and in the following days the leaves wilt and turn dark brown or black, as if burned. For coffee, a tropical plant, a hard freeze of this kind can kill branches and whole trees, not just one season’s cherries.
1975 Brazil black frost: coffee prices timeline
Prices below are for green Arabica coffee on the New York market (the “C” price), in US cents or dollars per pound, as compiled in a 2022 retrospective by Sprudge.
| Date | Green coffee price (per lb) | What was happening |
|---|---|---|
| Week of July 17, 1975 | 57–59¢ | Snow and frost hit Paraná and São Paulo |
| Following week | 61–81¢ | Traders absorb the scale of tree losses |
| Rest of 1975 | about 82¢ average | Prices settle at a higher level |
| March 22, 1976 | $1.02 | The $1 barrier falls |
| April 13, 1976 | $1.20 | Brazil’s 1976 harvest expected near 9 million bags, about half the pre-frost forecast |
| March 16, 1977 | $3.02 | Shortage meets panic buying and political unrest in other producing countries |
| April 14, 1977 | $3.36 | All-time peak of the episode |
| May–July 1977 | about $3.00 falling to $2.00 | Demand drops as consumers cut back |
In other words, green coffee rose roughly fivefold in under two years. Using the same source’s inflation adjustment, the March 1977 price was equivalent to about $15.60 a pound in 2022 dollars. In stores, roasted coffee reached about $4.19 a pound in spring 1977.
It was not only the frost
The frost was the trigger, but other supply shocks piled on. Civil war in Angola, then a major Robusta producer, unrest in Ethiopia and disruption in parts of Central America all tightened supply at the same time. A shortage in the largest producer, combined with trouble elsewhere, left buyers with nowhere to turn. If you want to understand how the benchmark price works, see our explainer on the coffee C price.
The 1977 coffee boycott
By the end of 1976, American shoppers were angry. On December 27, 1976, New York City’s Consumer Affairs Commissioner, Elinor Guggenheimer, announced she was switching to tea, demanded a 50% cut in retail prices and called for a coffee boycott, complete with buttons. Congress held hearings, newspaper columnists attacked Brazil, and households found ways to stretch every scoop, from refrigerating leftover coffee to reusing grounds.
The protest had a measurable effect. US coffee consumption fell about 15% between January 1976 and January 1977, grocery sales fell by a similar amount, and roasters’ output dropped by more than a third between June 1976 and June 1977. That fall in demand helped push prices back down from their April 1977 peak, though they never returned to pre-frost levels: from early 1976 until 1989, green coffee rarely traded below about $1.14 a pound.
Long-term effects on Brazilian coffee
The frost reshaped where Brazil grows coffee. Paraná, which had been one of the country’s great coffee states, never regained its production levels of the previous decade, and the area planted with coffee there shrank. A 2018 study from the State University of Ponta Grossa describes the frost as one factor in a longer transformation of the region’s agriculture, alongside government policy and economics.
Over the following decades, the center of Brazilian coffee moved north into areas less exposed to frost, and today Minas Gerais is the country’s leading coffee state. Our guide to Brazilian coffee covers today’s regions and flavors.
Lessons for today
Brazil has not escaped cold weather since. After a drought, intense frosts in 2021 hit coffee areas again, and Arabica futures climbed from about $1.07 to roughly $1.95 a pound over twelve months, briefly touching $2.08 in July. Commentators immediately drew parallels with 1975, when output fell about 60% in the following harvest and prices roughly tripled between 1975 and 1977.
Three lessons stand out:
- Weather in one country moves the whole market. Because Brazil grows such a large share of the world’s coffee, a single cold night can change prices everywhere.
- Tree losses hurt for years. A lost crop is one bad season; lost trees mean several years before supply recovers.
- Consumers react. High prices change habits, from boycotts in 1977 to more home brewing today.
Climate change adds a new twist: droughts and temperature swings are a growing risk for coffee regions, as we explain in coffee and climate change.
Taste Brazilian coffee today
Half a century after the frost, Brazil remains the backbone of the world’s coffee supply and a favorite for smooth, chocolatey cups. Our Brazil Santos is a balanced medium roast with cocoa undertones, gentle nuttiness and low acidity, an easy everyday coffee and a great espresso base. Brazilian beans also go into our Holiday Blend, alongside coffees from Peru and India. Explore more origins in our single-origin collection.
1975 Brazil black frost FAQ
When was the Brazilian black frost?
In mid-July 1975. Snow fell in southern Brazil on July 17 and 18, and Brazilian sources date the killing frost to July 18, 1975.
How many coffee trees did the 1975 frost kill?
About 1.5 billion trees, estimated at between half and two-thirds of Brazil’s coffee trees at the time.
How much did coffee prices rise after the 1975 frost?
Green Arabica rose from about 57–59 cents a pound in July 1975 to a peak of $3.36 in April 1977, roughly a fivefold increase.
Was there a coffee boycott in 1977?
Yes. New York City’s consumer affairs commissioner called for a boycott at the end of 1976, and US coffee consumption fell about 15% over the following year.
Did the frost move coffee farming out of Paraná?
It accelerated the decline. Paraná’s output never returned to its earlier highs, and Brazilian coffee production gradually shifted north, with Minas Gerais now the leading state.
Sources
- Mike Ferguson, retrospective on the 1975 Brazilian frost and coffee prices, Sprudge Special Projects, 2022. specialprojects.sprudge.com
- Juliane Roberta Santos Moreira, “Atividade cafeeira entre planos de governo e intempéries climáticas: o caso da cafeicultura no Paraná (1960/1975),” State University of Ponta Grossa, 2018. ri.uepg.br
- “Why coffee prices are skyrocketing,” Fast Company, 2021. fastcompany.com
Facts checked in October 2026.
Keep reading: The Coffee C Price · Brazilian Coffee · Single origins