Why Your Coffee Price Changed — The Tariffs & Supply Squeeze Customers Should Know About
Seeing higher prices on your favorite cup? Here’s exactly what’s driving them — and how we’re protecting farmers and our community.
Coffee prices have always moved with global forces, but this year, roasters like Café Rica are facing a storm of new tariffs and supply chain challenges that are changing the cost landscape for every cup.
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Tariffs: Recent moves by U.S. import authorities have increased duties on specialty green coffee coming from key producing countries. These tariffs mean each shipment costs more before it even arrives at our roastery.
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Global Cost Increases: On top of tariffs, fuel prices, shipping container shortages, and crop damage from climate events (like droughts and floods in Latin America) have made sourcing ethically even more expensive.
At Café Rica, we believe in transparency. Rather than quietly changing our blends or switching to cheaper sources, here’s what we’re doing:
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Fair Pay for Partners: Our Costa Rican partners still receive guaranteed prices well above “fair trade” minimums, even as market costs soar. We refuse to undermine farmer livelihoods for short-term gains.
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Local Affordability: We know that every dollar matters to our customers, especially now. We’ve absorbed as much of the cost surge as possible to keep daily prices steady for our community, but some increases are unavoidable.
When faced with tough choices — raise prices, cut quality, or change blends — we chose to keep our promises on ethical sourcing and flavor by making only the minimal necessary price adjustments. If you’d like a full breakdown or want to know how this impacts your business, reach out. We are always happy to explain.
Action Steps We’ve Taken:
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Absorbed increased costs wherever possible before passing them to customers
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Maintained direct relationships and transparency with suppliers
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Protected wages and jobs for our employees
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Provided clear communication about price changes and the reasons behind them