New coffee prices
New coffee prices – because standing by farmers matters more than ever
From this month, our prices are going up. We know it’s not what anyone wants to hear, especially with many already feeling the pinch. And it’s not a decision we’ve taken lightly.
The price of our single origin coffees on our online shop will rise from £5 to £6*. The cost of coffee has doubled — largely due to global heating.
Global heating is hitting harvests – and pushing prices up
Coffee needs exactly the right conditions to grow. It needs the right temperature, altitude, rainfall – and a whole lot of care.
But global heating is throwing all that off. Droughts, extreme weather and rising temperatures are damaging crops and shrinking harvests. Less coffee means higher prices for green coffee (that’s the raw bean we buy before it’s roasted).
But even with prices rising, that doesn’t mean farmers are earning more. Their own costs have soared too – fuel, fertiliser, tools and decades of under-valued crops has left them under funded to cope with the climate change. It’s getting harder to grow great coffee and to make a living from it.
Even with prices rising, that doesn’t mean farmers are earning more
We’re still absorbing we can
We’ve held off raising our prices for as long as possible – and we’re still absorbing as much of the impact as we can.
But to stay in business, and stay true to our purpose, this change is necessary.
We exist to protect farmers’ livelihoods and the quality coffee they grow – but we can’t do that if we can’t sell our coffee. To keep paying more than Fairtrade, investing in farmer-led organisations, and helping growers adapt to climate change, we need to make this shift.
Our focus is the future
This is exactly why we created our Manifesto for the Future of Coffee – a plan to put farmers first, pay a living income, and help smallholders grow climate-resilient, high-quality coffee for years to come.
We’re working to change the system, so prices stop spiralling. By building long-term relationships and stable pricing, farmers can invest in adapting to climate change instead of being held back by short-term shocks.
And alongside our commitment to farmers, we’re also reducing our own environmental impact – because global heating is making coffee so hard to grow.
We created our Manifesto for the Future of Coffee to put farmers first, pay a living income, and grow climate-resilient coffee.
It’s more than coffee. It’s a choice.
Every time you pick Cafédirect, you’re backing the people behind your daily drink. You’re helping smallholder farmers stay in coffee, earn a decent living, and adapt to a changing climate.
Every time you pick Cafédirect, you’re backing the people behind your daily drink. You’re helping smallholder farmers stay in coffee, earn a decent living, and adapt to a changing climate.
It’s Coffee Done Right.
Hear how coffee prices are affecting farmers from coffee cooperative manager and Cafédirect board director, Michael Montalvan:
If you’d like to know more about what’s behind the price rise, or how your choice helps protect farmer livelihoods and long-term supply, take a look at our FAQ section or drop us a line at [email protected]. We’re always happy to hear from you.
If you’d like to buy our coffee direct from us, visit our online shop.
* Prices will vary depending on size and format. The Retail price is at the sole discretion of the Retailer, guided by our Recommended Retail Price.
FAQs
The global price of coffee reached new highs in February 2025 ($4.40 per lb). This is largely due to global heating and extreme weather events affecting harvests in key producing countries like Brazil and Vietnam. On top of that, rising demand, supply chain disruption, and market speculation have all pushed prices even higher.
We’ve absorbed as much of this cost as possible, but to continue sourcing high-quality coffee fairly and sustainably, we’ve had to increase our prices.
From June, the recommended retail price for our coffee on the Cafédirect online shop will rise from £5 to £6.
Retailers set their own prices, based on our Recommended Retail Price so the price will vary depending on the retailer.
Farmers are hit the hardest.
Even when prices go up on the stock market, it doesn’t mean they’re better off. Their own costs – fertiliser, wages, tools, transport – have soared. And when prices are unstable, lenders hike interest rates or pull out, making it harder for farmers to get the loans they need to run their farms.
That’s why we’re focused on long-term, stable pricing (a Living Income Reference Price) that allows farmers to plan ahead, adapt to climate change, and stay in coffee for the future.
There are four main drivers behind the recent spike in coffee prices:
- Climate change – more frequent droughts, erratic rainfall and pests are affecting yields and delaying harvests.
- Global events – conflict and shipping delays are pushing up costs throughout the supply chain.
- Rising demand – especially from emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
- Speculation – traders buy and sell coffee futures to profit from market swings, driving up prices even further.
Not always – especially when prices are unpredictable.
When prices spike suddenly, farmers don’t know how much they’ll get paid for their crop. At the same time, they’re needing to invest in farming but struggle to get loans because of the volatile price of coffee.
We’re working to change the way coffee is bought and sold – building in stability and fairness so farmers can earn a living (aka a living income) and invest in long-term resilience.
We’re staying close to our supply chain -in constant dialogue with producer partners, importers and finance providers.
We’ve simplified our product range, reviewed production costs, and built in flexibility so we can respond quickly. We’ve also met face-to-face with all our producers to secure stock and support them through the current challenges.
We believe the coffee industry needs to move away from short-term buying and volatile prices. That’s why our Manifesto for the Future of Coffee lays out a long-term plan to:
- Pay a living income to smallholder farmers
- Invest in climate-resilient farming
- Reduce our own environmental impact
We’re here to secure the future of coffee – and the livelihoods behind it.
Green coffee refers to the raw, unroasted coffee beans that we source directly from smallholder cooperatives. These beans are then roasted here in the UK so that it’s freshly roasted when it goes to supermarkets. The price of green coffee on the global market is what’s currently driving costs up across the industry.
We work closely with our sister organisation, Producers Direct, to fund farmer-led training centres, innovation, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. Farmers co-own the business and have a voice in how it runs.
We reinvest our revenue into the communities we work with – because we’re not here for quick wins. We believe in long-term relationships that give farmers the stability to keep farming, so we can all keep enjoying great coffee for years to come.
If you have any questions or want to understand more about how your coffee choice protects farmers and the future supply of coffee, we’d love to hear from you. Drop us a line at [email protected].