Tea and Coffee With a Conscience

The Rising Cost Of Coffee - What's Going On?

The Rising Cost Of Coffee - What's Going On?

It's no secret that the cost of coffee has increased over the last year. You've probably noticed the prices rising in cafes, restaurants and supermarkets. If you haven't yet, you soon will. In fact, experts are expecting the cost of a high street coffee to rise by 30% over the next year.

So, what's causing the price of coffee to rise? 


Climate Change

Major coffee producing countries, particularly Brazil, saw extreme weather changes during 2021 and have experienced fire, floods and drought. As we know, coffee requires very specific conditions to thrive, and 2021 made it incredibly difficult to grow. This drove the cost of beans to their highest level in a decade. Many of the farmers we buy from have been unable to grow any crops at all and some have even gone bankrupt. 
Market rates for arabica beans, used by large companies including Starbucks and Pret a Manger, reached as high as $1.76 per pound in November, the highest since the food crisis in 2012. Arabica prices have risen about 80% this year, outstripping jumps across other "soft" commodities including cotton, sugar and palm oil.

Import Costs

On top of climate problems, coffee exporters are dealing with hold-ups across global supply chains along with the soaring cost and low availability of freight shipping.

Cecafe, Brazil’s biggest exporter group, says around 3.7m bags of coffee had their exports held up in the first ten months during 2021.

These problems are in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the problems it has caused with shipping goods around the world.


How Has This Affected Us?

Sadly, from this month we had no choice but to put our prices up in order for our business to survive. We're continuing to support our current coffee suppliers and buy their produce. We could switch to different suppliers and perhaps choose cheaper blends, but that's not what we are about. We don't want to compromise on the quality of our coffee. Plus, supporting our partners is really important to us.

Remember, you can still get a fantastic deal on your coffee! Start a subscription with us and you'll benefit from 20% off your first delivery and then 10% off every subsequent delivery.

Oh and don't forget, we also offer free shipping!