We have (and will continue to) absorb the majority of higher operating costs at Hermanos — to acknowledge the loyalty of our customers and thank you for buying sustainable, ethical and truly fantastic coffee, even though it costs more.
However, there is only so much we can do as a small (but growing) business and are forced to increase the cost of our subscription service by £1 per bag from 1st June, 2022.
Why is Coffee Getting More Expensive?
The answer to this question isn’t simple, but it’s an important one for us to try and answer with as much transparency as possible.
At Hermanos (and for all coffee roasters in the UK), the cost of doing business has been increasing steadily due to several factors, including unpredictable weather conditions damaging the crops of many coffee growing countries like Brazil — driving up prices as global demand for coffee remains strong. Other factors include:
For more information about this topic, read our article: The Cost of Coffee - What’s Behind the Rise in Coffee Prices?
Ultimately, roasters and shops in the specialty coffee industry are now faced with the following dilemma:
While some roasters are able to introduce coffee from cheaper origin countries as well as blend different coffees together (creating varying concentrations of high, medium and low-quality coffee), at Hermanos, we’re not able to do the same.
The biggest reason for this is our commitment to sourcing the very best single origins from deserving farmers in Colombia. With so much care and attention paid to coffee production on each and every unique farm, we find it hard to either blend this with lower quality coffees, or even high-quality coffees from other nations or different regions of Colombia.
We’ve always loved the single origin model for coffee sourcing and it’s how we’ve formed most of our direct relationships with producers (as well as defined who we are as a brand). As the costs for our producers are also increasing, we think paying them more is the right thing to do.
As we perform the balancing act of paying the increased costs of importing sustainable and high quality coffee, while offering the best possible prices to our customers, we thank you for your understanding.
We know that with living costs rising for everyone, the increased cost of coffee is no doubt an unwelcome reality. And cutting costs on non-essentials is often necessary. However, buying coffee responsibly (ensuring sourcing is sustainable and ethical) is still such an important way to make a positive impact on the world.