Updated October 2026.

If you've noticed your coffee costs more than it did a couple of years ago, you're not imagining it. You deserve a straight answer about why, so here it is.

Green coffee is our biggest cost

Green coffee, the raw, unroasted beans we buy before they reach our roaster in Robe, is the single biggest cost in every bag we sell. And its price has been on a wild ride.

Coffee prices around the world are anchored to the arabica "C price," traded on the ICE futures exchange in New York. For years it sat comfortably under US$2 a pound. Through 2024 and 2025 it climbed steeply, reaching a record of almost US$4.40 a pound in October 2025.

Prices have eased since then. In early October 2026, arabica was trading at around US$2.95 a pound. That's well below the peak, but still far above where it sat only a few years ago.

Why did prices climb so high?

Several things hit at once:

  • Weather. Brazil grows more coffee than any other country, and droughts and frosts cut its harvests. Vietnam, the biggest robusta producer, had its own weather problems.
  • Low stocks. The certified arabica stocks held in exchange warehouses fell to their lowest levels in decades, so there was little buffer when harvests fell short.
  • Trade and shipping. Tariffs, freight costs and port delays added to the cost of moving coffee around the world.
  • Currency. Coffee is traded in US dollars. When the Australian dollar is weaker, every kilo costs more by the time it lands here.
  • Demand. More people around the world are drinking coffee, including fast-growing markets in Asia.

Specialty coffee, like the coffee we roast, is sold at a premium above the C price. So when the benchmark rises, our costs rise with it.

Why your bag doesn't get cheaper overnight

Roasters usually buy green coffee months ahead, so the price we paid for the coffee in your bag was often locked in well before today's market. Prices also remain unpredictable. Brazil's next crop, stock levels and the weather can all move the market quickly, in either direction. We'd rather keep our prices steady than chase every swing.

What it means per cup

To put it in perspective, every $5 a kilo rise in the cost of green coffee adds around 13 cents to a double-shot coffee, once you allow for the weight beans lose during roasting. It adds up across a year, but it's a smaller share of a café coffee than most people think. Rent, wages, milk and energy all play their part too. Our guide to pricing a café coffee menu breaks down where the money goes.

Our commitment to you

We haven't cut corners. We haven't switched to cheaper beans or rushed our roasts. We still buy specialty grade coffee, roast it carefully in Robe, and cup every batch before it goes out the door.

We'll keep any price changes as gradual and fair as we can, and we'll always be open about why. If you ever have questions about pricing, sourcing or what's in your bag, get in touch. I'd much rather have an open conversation than leave you wondering.

One practical way to save: our coffee subscription includes free shipping on every order, so at least one cost stays off the table, whatever the market does.

Want to know more about what you're paying for? Read about the difference between specialty and commodity coffee.