The Rising Cost of Coffee Beans – What It Really Means for Your Daily Brew

What is the actual cost increase per cup of coffee and is it going to make a difference?

If you’ve been keeping an eye on coffee prices, you might have noticed they’re creeping up. Whether you’re a home brewer or a café owner, understanding how these price increases translate into the actual cost of a cup of coffee is key to making sense of the changes.

So, let’s break it down...

The Impact of Coffee Bean Price Increases

The cost of green coffee beans has been rising due to various factors—climate change, supply chain disruptions, and increasing production costs. When wholesale coffee prices go up, it’s natural to wonder how much that really affects your morning cup.

A standard 1kg bag of coffee beans typically makes around 55–60 cups of coffee, depending on your grind size and espresso shot weight. For simplicity, let’s assume 1kg of beans makes 55 cups of coffee.

Now, if the cost of a kilo of coffee increases by:

• £5 per kg → 9p extra per cup (£5 ÷ 55 cups = £0.09 per cup)

• £7.50 per kg → 14p extra per cup (£7.50 ÷ 55 cups = £0.14 per cup)

• £10 per kg → 18p extra per cup (£10 ÷ 55 cups = £0.18 per cup)

That means if your usual coffee costs £3.00 in a café, and the bean cost increases by £7.50 per kilo, the price would need to rise by just 14p per cup to maintain the same margins.

What This Means for Coffee Lovers and Businesses

For home brewers, this increase is relatively minor. If you drink two cups a day, the difference is:

• £5/kg increase → £5.40 extra per month

• £7.50/kg increase → £8.10 extra per month

• £10/kg increase → £10.80 extra per month

For coffee shops, the impact depends on sales volume. If a café sells 200 cups per day, this price rise equates to:

• £5/kg increase → £18 extra in daily costs

• £7.50/kg increase → £28 extra in daily costs

• £10/kg increase → £36 extra in daily costs

While these figures aren’t insignificant, they show that even a sharp rise in wholesale coffee prices translates to a relatively small per-cup cost increase.

Perspective: Coffee is Still an Affordable Luxury

Despite rising costs, coffee remains one of the most accessible and enjoyable daily luxuries. Even with a price increase of 9p, 14p, or 18p per cup, it’s a small cost for high-quality, sustainably sourced coffee.

As prices fluctuate, supporting independent roasters who are transparent about sourcing and sustainability ensures you’re getting great coffee while helping farmers and producers earn a fair wage.

So, next time you sip your coffee, remember—each cup represents a global effort, and sometimes, a small price increase is a step toward a more sustainable future for the coffee industry.

Would love to hear your thoughts—how do rising coffee prices affect your habits? Let me know in the comments!