Coffee production in Colombia has a reputation as producing mild, well balanced coffee beans. Colombia's average annual
coffee production of 11.5 million bags is the third total highest in the world, after Brazil and Vietnam; though highest in terms of the arabica bean. The beans are exported to
United States,
Germany,
France,
Japan, and
Italy. Most coffee is grown in the
Colombian coffee growing axis region. In 2007, the
European Union granted Colombian coffee a
protected designation of origin status. In 2011 UNESCO declared the coffee growing region a World Heritage site.