Some people love their coffee in a glass, or a ceramic cup.
As a small business we loved serving it and pour fancy latte art patterns on top.
As the pandemic wore on and we stayed doing takeaway coffees right through we have realized as a business how Unaffordable serving dine in coffees actually is for a small business due to the extra wages required to serve customers and sell the same or less coffee.
The reality is, Takeaway cup and lid costs around 10 to 12 cents, which is also increasing in cost by up to 20% from most suppliers and the price increase letters are coming in thick and fast.
As a green coffee buyer for Mikro Coffee Roasters I started seeing the writing on the wall last December that the price of green coffee was at serious risk of skyrocketing.
As an unintended consequence of the Pandemic and the green coffee sea prices almost doubling this year due to different factors such as shipping delays and massively increased costs, frost in Brazil and Burundi and low crops from other main coffee producing countries.
This is a silent warning from me here at Mikro Coffee Roasters that the prices of coffee served in a cafe or a restaurant especially in a dine in setting absolutely must go up or businesses will risk going under with the added pressures of compliance and covid related complications, unforeseen shutdowns and increasing costs due to the inflation and wages.
Please, don't be surprised if you notice your favourite coffee shops increasing the prices of their coffees by up to $1 in the coming months, they have no choice in the matter otherwise the consequences for their business sustainability will be dire. Your local coffee shop depends on your understanding and support.
The big commercial roasters might be able to weather the storm of increasing coffee prices a little bit longer due to their buying power and storage capacities but I feel that the rising prices of coffee and the impending coffee production crisis and low yields next year will also put these guys under pressure.
We are doing everything we can here at Mikro Coffee Roasters and working closely with our Direct Trade partners to understand their needs and their capabilities to produce quality coffee in the current climate. Our aim is to secure coffee supplies for the coming 12 months and to try our hardest to stave off the rising coffee prices so we don't have to pass it on to you for as long as we can hold on.
It is a very fine balance to continue purchasing Premium grade green coffee at the current skyrocketing coffee prices and not skimp out on quality and ensure that our producing partners are still being paid the right price they need to achieve to be successful. We don't intend to reduce our team and at the same time continue to strive for wage growth within our business.
I thank you for your ongoing support and looking forward to continue roasting great quality coffee for you.
Valeri Tkatchenko
Director, Mikro Coffee Roasters