A note on our coffee prices, and why they’re changing
From 1 July, the price of our coffee beans will be increasing.
This adjustment will apply to coffee bean prices in our retail stores and online store.
It is not a decision we have made lightly.
We know every price increase is felt. We feel them too, as a family business, as a roastery, as employers, as coffee buyers, and as people who care deeply about making good coffee something people can return to every day.
Over the past few years, the cost of operating has continued to rise. Freight, packaging, energy, rent, equipment, wages and insurance have all moved. These are the everyday costs that sit behind every bag of coffee, long before it reaches your kitchen bench.
The wider Australian economy tells part of the story. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia’s annual inflation rate was 4.2% in the 12 months to April 2026, with housing, transport, and food and non-alcoholic beverages among the largest contributors. For businesses like ours, that flows through in practical ways. Moving coffee costs more. Storing coffee costs more. Keeping the lights on costs more. Running a roastery costs more.
Wages are part of this too.
We see paying people properly as a responsibility, not an optional extra. Good coffee depends on good people. The people who roast, pack, serve, dispatch, clean, train, repair, cup, taste, talk to customers and keep everything moving.
We want to keep investing in them.
We also want to keep roasting fresh here in Melbourne. To keep sourcing coffees we are genuinely excited to share with you. To keep working with producers and co-operatives we have known for years. And to keep every bag tasting like something we are proud to put our name on.
Coffee itself has changed too
The cost pressure is not only local.
Coffee is a global crop, traded in a global market, and it has been under pressure from climate, shifting supply, labour shortages, rising production costs and changing demand.
The International Coffee Organization reported that its Composite Indicator Price averaged 256.05 US cents per pound in May 2026. While prices had eased from the previous month, they remained high by historical standards. For roasters, that matters. Green coffee is our core ingredient. When the base cost of coffee rises, it affects everything that comes after it.
The pressure is even more complex when you look at individual origins.
A recent market report from ANEI, one of our grower partners in Colombia, shows what this looks like on the ground. In southern Colombia, the new harvest season is underway in regions including Huila, Tolima, Cauca and Nariño. ANEI reports that Colombian coffee production has dropped, climate conditions remain difficult, and producers are facing a mix of lower expected volumes, labour challenges, exchange rate pressure and production costs that are not falling as quickly as market prices.
That last point is important.
Coffee prices can move up and down on the market, but the cost of growing coffee does not always move with them. Fertiliser, labour, transport, farm maintenance, organic production, quality control and climate adaptation all carry real costs. For farming families, that can mean income becomes less predictable at the same time as the work becomes harder.
ANEI’s report also notes that Fairtrade and sustainable production are key ways to create positive impact in coffee-producing communities, especially when economic, political and environmental conditions are uncertain.
This is one of the reasons we keep coming back to long-term relationships.
Because coffee is not just a commodity. It is people. Families. Farms. Co-operatives. Pickers. Processors. Exporters. Roasters. Baristas. Customers. A whole chain of care, risk, labour and trust.
Why Fairtrade matters
Fairtrade is one of the ways the coffee industry can help create more stability for growers.
At its simplest, Fairtrade gives producers a pricing safety net. The Fairtrade Minimum Price is designed to protect farmers when the market drops too low. If the market price is higher than the Fairtrade Minimum Price, buyers pay the higher market price. If the market falls below the minimum, the Fairtrade Minimum Price helps stop producers from being pushed beneath a safer baseline.
For coffee farmers, that structure matters because coffee prices can be volatile. A good year on the market can be followed by a difficult one. Weather events can affect yield. Exchange rates can change income. Local inflation can push up the cost of production. A pricing floor gives co-operatives more confidence to plan.
Fairtrade also includes the Fairtrade Premium, an additional amount paid on top of the selling price. Producer organisations choose how this money is invested. It may go towards improving quality, productivity, infrastructure, climate adaptation, education, community services, or other priorities chosen by the farmers themselves.
According to Fairtrade Australia New Zealand Fairtrade Minimum Price for washed Arabica coffee increased to US$1.80 per pound for contracts signed from 1 August 2023, with the Fairtrade Premium remaining at US$0.20 per pound. The organic differential also increased to US$0.40 per pound, recognising the additional costs involved in organic production.
Fairtrade helps build more structure into a volatile market. It gives producers a stronger voice. It supports co-operatives. It puts a clearer value on the work behind the coffee. And it helps create a path where better coffee can also mean better outcomes for the people growing it.
That has always mattered to us.
Finding the right balance
At Jasper Coffee, we are always trying to find the right balance.
We want to pay our team properly. We want to keep buying coffee in a way that respects growers and co-operatives. We want to keep roasting with care. We want to keep delivering the quality, consistency and freshness you expect from us.
And we want to keep our coffee accessible.
That is why we continue to offer a wide range of coffees, from everyday favourites to rare and remarkable lots. Some are familiar and comforting. Some are bright, complex and expressive. Some are entry-level specialty coffees. Some are for the connoisseur, the curious, the collector, the person who loves finding something extraordinary in the cup.
Each coffee has its place.
Each one is something we are proud to serve.
This price adjustment helps us continue doing the work properly. Not cutting corners. Not stepping away from our values. Not reducing the care behind the coffee. But moving with the real cost of sourcing, roasting and sharing coffee in a changing world.
We know you have choices.
So, thank you.
Thank you for brewing our coffee at home. For sharing it with friends. For gifting it to family. For drinking it at work. For making it part of your morning. For coming back to the coffees you love, and for trying something new when curiosity strikes.
It is a privilege to be welcomed into so many kitchens, workplaces and daily rituals around Australia.
Warmly,
Jasper Parker Trenfield
