While the price of industrial coffee soars in 2024, the price of fair trade, organic and specialty coffees remains fairly stable because they are less dependent on world market prices.
The price of coffee on the world market has jumped this year. Numerous press articles have echoed this, announcing all kinds of figures. According to Capital, the price of robusta coffee has increased by 200% in two years, reaching $4,400 per tonne. For RMC, the price of a 250 ga packet of ground coffee has increased by an average of 20 cents since January 2024. According to Ouest France: In bars, the price of an espresso has increased by 20% in one year. Réussir magazine explains to us that the prices of green coffee have increased by almost 80% on the global market in 2024.
These increases are due to global warming which is causing increasingly numerous and severe natural disasters. They affected the main producing countries whose yields fell. On the global market, less coffee translates into higher prices.
This increase is reflected in the price of industrial coffee. On the other hand, artisanal productions, specialty coffees, fair trade coffees from small producers such as those of The gates are little impacted because the price of organic coffees, local coffees, those from small family farms, high-end vintages, are not indexed on the world commodity exchanges.
The price of these coffees is determined mainly by their intrinsic quality, their production method, their rarity, and the remuneration of farmers rather than by fluctuations in the world market.
Let’s favor artisanal coffee beans
Specialty coffee producers (grands crus de café) and those who benefit from fair trade programs are better paid. The share of their remuneration has the effect of cushioning the effects of price increases linked to climatic conditions.
The price of specialty coffees in particular remains fairly stable. Coffees from small producers are also more expensive because they are often grown without chemicals and harvested by hand. Each step, from production to distribution, aims to preserve taste quality, which entails additional costs. Their price reflects higher quality and more sustainable production practices. However, it remains much cheaper than capsule coffee. A batch of 50 capsules, or between 250 and 300 g of coffee, costs around 23 euros. This is the price of a geisha coffee, that is to say the greatest coffee vintages in existence.
To obtain a good cup of coffee, it is advisable to grind it yourself at home because ground coffee loses its aroma over time. The quality of the grinder is essential, even more important than that of the coffee machine. Each method of preparing coffee, filter, (piston) press, espresso, Italian coffee maker corresponds to a grind size. And each coffee terroir also has an ideal grind size that can be found by testing.
