Responsibly Sourced Coffee Should Cost a Buck More a Bag, Local Roaster Argues | Eater SF

"I visited a sun-drenched Verve cafe in Duboce Triangle and enjoyed excellent lattes; Verve is based in Santa Cruz and also has locations in Palo Alto and LA. They source directly from farmers and negotiate purchase prices with growers, paying above-market rates for much of their coffee so mainstream c-market spikes won’t impact most of their beans. Still, Jeremy Brooks, head of sourcing and green coffee buying, says Verve will raise prices next month for the first time in five years—not because of rising coffee commodity costs but due to supply-chain disruptions for packaging: customers should expect roughly a $0.25–$0.50 increase on drinks and $1–$1.50 on bags of beans as Verve pays more for corrugated paper, compostable cups and shipping. Brooks also notes that recent c-market prices (~$1/lb) have been unsustainably low compared with typical production costs ($1.50–$1.70/lb), and that moderately higher prices could help keep farmers in the industry." - Lauren Saria