Coffee lovers may have to dig deeper into their pockets as the cost of coffee beans has shot up due largely to a July 20 frost in Brazil that has destroyed crops.
Andrew Oakes, owner of Fresh Roasted Coffee in Sunbury, said the price of green, unroasted beans has risen 200 percent since September.
“Brazil coffee drives the coffee market,” Oakes said of the dramatic impact the extreme cold snap there is having on coffee prices worldwide. “Our cost has gone up tremendously.”
He hasn’t raised retail prices yet, but expects consumers will feel the pinch in their pocketbook.
“Small roasters are going to have to raise their prices,” Oakes said.
Bason Coffee Roasting in Danville has done just that to keep pace with the rising cost of beans.
Elizabeth Bason said they’ve increased the cost of their coffee by $1 per pound.
“We’re hoping this will be enough to help us support our company,” she said. “We haven’t gotten any push-back” from customers. “People love their coffee. It’s the one thing most people won’t go without.”
Glenn Wagner, manager of The Kind Cafe in Selinsgrove, said they’ve been able to keep prices stable but he’s closely monitoring the situation.
“The cost of everything, like chicken, is going up. We’ve eaten every other cost,” he said. “We’re just fortunate to have the customers back. Hopefully the market will adjust.”
With another frost expected to happen this week in Brazil, Oakes worries that prices will remain high for a while and with other expenses — such as cardboard, employee salaries and shipping — up markedly, he doesn’t know how long he can forego raising his prices.
“Every cost I have is tremendously higher. It’s unprecedented increases,” he said, citing his own rise in shipping costs from $1,300 to $7,000 in recent months.
