Coffee News

Coffee prices and industry news saw major developments this week, including further price volatility, global trade negotiations, sustainability campaigns, and notable competitions across North America and beyond.

Coffee Price Movements
Coffee prices fell slightly this week, with arabica futures down about 1% on Friday after a brief rally. The main reasons were forecasts for rain in Brazil, which eased supply concerns for the forthcoming harvest. However, the broader trend remains that coffee prices in the U.S. and Canada have reached 25-year highs due to ongoing tariffs, inflation, and climate challenges affecting producing countries like Brazil and Vietnam. Over the past month, average coffee prices have dropped over 6%, but are still nearly 50% higher than a year ago. Roasted coffee at retail is up 22% year-on-year, outpacing many other food categories.

Industry and Trade Developments
Leaders in the U.S. and Brazil, including President Donald Trump and President Lula, agreed to an upcoming meeting aimed at resolving tariff and trade disputes that have disrupted long-standing relationships and shipments between major coffee exporters and U.S. importers. Brazilian export groups reported steep losses and hope for relief from tariffs soon. Colombia reported a robust harvest and soaring export values but also voiced concerns that excessive rainfall in early 2025 could lower next year's crop volumes.

Competitions and Events
The Global Coffee Awards highlighted top roasters in North America, with Utopian Coffee (Indiana), Stamp Act Coffee (Seattle), and Sweet Bloom (Denver) winning significant honors. These champions will compete against European and origin country winners in the world final next March.

International Coffee Day, observed annually on October 1, kicked off a new campaign focused on collaboration within the industry, aiming to spur practical partnerships across the supply chain for resiliency and sustainability.

Consumer and Retail Updates
Major chains such as Starbucks and McDonald's raised prices this fall, reflecting higher costs passed on from supply chain and market pressures. Equator Coffees expanded its ready-to-drink cold brew range across more U.S. supermarkets, with retailers like Whole Foods and Kroger now stocking its new SKUs. Specialty coffee innovations continue, as seen with Indomaret in Indonesia entering the ready-to-drink market.

Regional and Local Trends
Local roasters and coffee shops continue to face mounting cost pressures, with green coffee bean prices tripling compared to pre-COVID levels — jumping from under $2 to nearly $7 per pound mostly due to global climate issues and shifting tariffs. In Connecticut, prices for roasted coffee have doubled since 2020.

Overall, this week saw important negotiations, pricing volatility, festival launches, and further adaptation in both retail and specialty coffee realms, alongside ongoing sustainability and trade challenges.

Sources
[1] Arabica Coffee Prices Decline on Rain Forecasts for Brazil https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/arabica-coffee-prices-decline-rain-forecasts-brazil
[2] Coffee News Recap, 10 Oct: GCA crowns best roaster in US & Canada https://perfectdailygrind.com/2025/10/coffee-news-recap-10-october-2025/
[3] Coffee - Price - Chart - Historical Data - News - Trading Economics https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/coffee
[4] Coffee Industry Faces Price Surge And Innovation On October 7, 2025 https://coffeebi.com/2025/10/07/coffee-industry-faces-price-surge-and-innovation-on-october-7-2025/
[5] Coffee Prices Fall on Brazil Rains and Brazilian Real Weakness https://finance.yahoo.com/news/coffee-prices-fall-brazil-rains-182446384.html
[6] Coffee prices triple, putting pressure on roasters, cafes, customers https://lookouteugene-springfield.com/story/food-dining/2025/10/06/coffee-prices-triple-putting-pressure-on-roasters-cafes-customers/
[7] Coffee Prices Fall On Brazil Rains And Brazilian Real Weakness https://www.barchart.com/story/news/35373147/coffee-prices-fall-on-brazil-rains-and-brazilian-real-weakness
[8] Hell Hath No Fury Like a Coffee Drinker in 2025 https://www.wsj.com/business/hospitality/coffee-prices-inflation-tariffs-brazil-e3c26e3b
[9] International Coffee Day 2025 Campaign Calls for Urgent Collaboration https://dailycoffeenews.com/2025/09/22/international-coffee-day-2025-campaign-calls-for-urgent-collaboration/
[10] The price of a cup of coffee in CT is up 7.7%. It could be worse. https://ctmirror.org/2025/10/10/ct-coffee-prices/
[11] [PDF] I-CIP.pdf - International Coffee Organization | https://icocoffee.org/documents/I-CIP.pdf
[12] Coffee Events Calendar - the Genuine Origin Blog https://blog.genuineorigin.com/2025/01/coffee-events-calendar/
[13] Coffee Industry Events Calendar - National Coffee Association https://www.ncausa.org/Industry-Resources/Industry-Calendar
[14] Cozy Up With These Fall Coffee Drinks Around the DC Area https://www.washingtonian.com/2025/10/10/cozy-up-with-these-fall-coffee-drinks-around-the-dc-area/
[15] The Barista Magazine Coffee Events Calendar https://www.baristamagazine.com/events/
[16] Global Coffee Events Calendar https://sca.coffee/events/global
[17] Coffee & Headlines • October 10, 2025 - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR1_46JOBNo
[18] Discover Coffee Events & Activities in Washington, DC - Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/d/dc--washington/coffee/
[19] October 8, 2025 - Cup of Coffee https://www.cupofcoffeenews.com/cup-of-coffee-october-8-2025/
[20] Coffee Prices and Tariffs Update October 2025 | Royal New York https://www.royalny.com/blogs/coffee-prices-and-tariffs/