I happened to visit an independent coffee chain over the weekend looking for a cup of Joe and never wishing to miss a sales opportunity I asked how much they paid for their coffee? The very nice new manager said '£8.50 per kilo' and that they had just signed a three year contract with a new supplier, which included a lease with a new machine. Is this costly coffee?
When I did my coffee roasting course with Stephen Diedrich in 2013 I met an already well established roaster, and whilst training he gave me an insight into how some coffee roasters work, 'they buy the cheapest possible beans you can find and sell them for the highest price.' Peaberry can still buy low cost ungraded commercial coffees and dark roast to produce a cheaper blend however that would for our business, go against the grain and contradict our passion to roast high quality, great tasting speciality coffee.
Sourcing Speciality Coffee
Speciality coffee has become more difficult to procure in 2022 due to global warming and world unrest and covid and lack of containers, combined with the well documented poor harvests in Brazil due in part to the freakishly hard frosts they endured in 2021 hitting 65% of Brazil's plantations which meant they lost between 20-30 million bags of production and pushed up the worlds coffee price for years to come.
Costly Coffee Due To Rising Prices
Additionally, costs are on the increase which makes life even more challenging for the Artisan roaster to sell his beans. However I also welcome this rise in price as the farmer is getting more for his money. They are not having to cow-tail to the brokers who have had it all their way for far too long. They can sell their coffee to whom they wish and at a much better price than ever before. In fact Brazil's farmers have made record profits this year due to higher than ever world prices. This has been caused by their very own misfortune of bad harvests in the previous year.
Is Our Speciality Coffee Fairtrade?
So when I get asked by a customer is our coffee fair trade and why is it expensive when they can buy 3 bags from the local supermarket for the price of 1 of ours? I took a moment to explain that we are not feigning fairness to pickers who work for farmers. Carrying the very foggy fair trade stamp which doesn't assure me of a fair wage for the pickers. We try to import direct when we can and if not, then through small independent importers who represent micro farmers. I often communicate with these farmers, particularly as they are interested to know where their coffee is going. Peaberry is also keen to build relationships with them. We want to understand the harvesting processes and ensure their workers are fairly treated.
Visit Our Coffee Roastery In Andover, Hampshire
Most people seem to have less money at the moment. However,. it still doesn't put customers off coming in to find us at Unit 66, Basepoint, Andover, SP10 3FG. Despite the fact that costly coffee is more commonplace. We're very happy to explain how our coffee is roasted and which origin or blend might suit peoples needs best. We also offer plant based milks for those on a Vegan/ Vegetarian or flexitarian diet.
As a connoisseur of coffee - as you would expect, to avoid disappointment I always prepare my coffee at home or at Peaberry Coffee Roasters. By only using freshly roasted coffee beans, rather than buy any supermarket or high street retailer coffee, I always enjoy the best coffee. While costly coffee doesn't always mean that it will be the best coffee, it can be a clue as to its quality.
Shop Local With Peaberry Coffee Roasters
Also, I am still a firm believer of shopping locally. For example; if you want to eat meat then buy locally produced grass fed cow pig and vegetables. And of course......fresh roasted coffee!.
So, PLEASE come and see us and let us show you how a good coffee can taste. Don't struggle with certain providers that think only of maximum profit over quality and taste.
