The price of coffee is going up!

Clifftop Coffee recently increased prices across the board to reflect our huge cost increases since the winter of 2024/2025. 

Climate change is at the heart of the issue. Major coffee-growing regions like Brazil which accounts for 40% of the global market, had a frost and then drought in one season! These conditions have sharply reduced harvests, tightening a supply chain that was already suffering from higher global demand. A picture from Sul de Minas in Brazil, shows the impact of the recent drought.

At the same time, fertiliser costs have soared, largely due to the ripple effects of global energy crises and conflicts. Fertiliser production relies heavily on natural gas, making it vulnerable to global price spikes.

Coffee pricing is also impacted by Coffee Futures. Some companies speculate on coffee crop yields by enlisting scores of Agronomists to count coffee fruit across bushes, farms, and entire regions. This information is then extrapolated and used to compare with previous yields, and you can pretty accurately measure the size of the incoming crop. Such information is then used to sell or buy coffee contracts at certain prices, causing coffee prices to spike. To me, it seems like Insider trading, but it is perfectly legal!

For farmers in Colombia who had a regular production yield, these increased global prices mean better returns, but for those suffering from a ravaged crop there is little comfort. 

However, there is some good news, historically bad harvests are usually followed by larger yields the following year, with the caveat of normal weather patterns resuming. 

Scientists in Kew Gardens have been hunting for new strains of coffee plants in Madagascar, with some exciting discoveries that may help farmers grow coffee in a changing climate.

In my next blog post, we'll explore Coffea stenophylla, a rare coffee species known for its heat tolerance and commercial appeal. 

Thank you for reading!