There’s a lot happening in the world of coffee right now (and let’s be honest, across the world in general). With so much complexity, it’s easy to get lost in confusing narratives. But when you cut through the noise, one simple truth remains: global coffee prices have risen, and they’re not coming down anytime soon.
There are several reasons behind this spike. In the last year, two of the world’s largest coffee producing markets, Brazil and Vietnam, experienced poor harvests. While it’s not unusual for one country to have a weak crop, both struggling in the same cycle took a significant toll on global coffee supplies. As large-scale buyers scrambled to source from smaller producing markets to make up the shortfall, commodity speculation surged, driving up contract prices.
This activity happens on what’s called the C-market, the global commodities exchange for coffee. While specialty coffee often claims to operate outside of the C-market, the reality is more complicated. When commodity prices approach or surpass those of specialty coffee, the line between the two blurs quickly.
To put this into perspective: in May 2024, the C-market price was around $2.00 per pound. By May 2025, it had climbed to $3.90 per pound, a staggering 95% increase in just one year.
At Queen City, we’ve felt the effects firsthand. Our base blender coffee, the most affordable coffee we source from the Corrales family in Nicaragua, has jumped from $3.25 to $4.01 per pound.
And that’s just the FOB (Free on Board) price, or the cost we pay at origin. Once you factor in rising import fees, up 30% due to globally inflated fuel and transportation costs, and a 10% tariff, the cost to bring coffee into the U.S. has grown significantly. The price of a single cup looks very different than it did just a year ago.
The result is that we need to raise our prices to remain sustainable. We want to be transparent with you about why, and we’re committed to continuing that transparency as we navigate these challenging times together.
For cafe customers, you'll see an average increase around 9.5% across our menu with most drinks going up somewhere between $0.25 and $0.50 per item. For wholesale partners, bulk bags will reflect dynamic market prices so check our monthly price sheet to see specific prices based on origin or blend.
Our genuine relationships — with farmers, producers, importers and the broader QC community — extend to you. We’re deeply grateful that you've chosen to support our collective. Thank you for being part of this journey.
