At Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters, we have always been committed to sourcing the highest-quality, ethically traded coffee while ensuring fair compensation down the supply chain so that we can promote economic sustainability among the farmers and producers we work with. Here on Cape Cod, where we operate our cafes and roastery, we are also committed to providing year-round jobs in a highly seasonal economy and remaining open 7 days per week, year round. Over the past year, the cost of green coffee has continued to rise to record breaking prices. This price increase is due to increasing production expenses, climate challenges, and ongoing market volatility, which we have written about here. Frankly, the price increases are also very much needed in a sector that has experienced a constant decline in the inflation-adjusted, real price of coffee since 1970. While we have absorbed these costs as much as possible, we are now forced to make a decision: adjust our pricing.
Effective February 15, 2025, we will be implementing a price increase on our signature blends, which are Brewster, Jaws and Captain Crosby. This change reflects not only the rising cost of green coffee but also the investment we make in maintaining relationships with specialty producers, supporting sustainable farming practices, maintaining competitive compensation at our roastery, and delivering freshly roasted, high-quality coffee to our community. While these changes may challenge affordability for some consumers, they also highlight the need for a more sustainable and equitable coffee supply chain that fairly compensates farmers for their work.
The record-breaking price increases affect the C or commodity market. But Snowy Owl Coffee purchases specialty coffee. So you might be wondering: how are these two related?
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Specialty coffee is grown at higher elevations, often in biodiverse environments with shade-grown techniques that enhance flavor complexity. Farmers focus on soil health, sustainable practices, and selective breeding of high-quality arabica varieties. Coffee cherries are mostly handpicked when ripe and processed with methods intended to enhance flavors.
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Commodity coffee, on the other hand, is often grown on sun-exposed monoculture farms designed for high yield rather than quality, often relying on chemical fertilizers and pesticides for mass production. Commodity coffee is often machine-harvested or strip-picked (where all cherries, ripe or unripe, are collected at once) to maximize efficiency, leading to inconsistent quality and defects in the final product.
As a specialty roaster, we promise our growing partners a premium above the C price that corresponds to the superior quality of their product and helps to effectuate long term sustainability of soil health and environmentally sustainable practices. While the specialty coffee market is different from the C market, the rising prices in the C market directly affect our specialty producers. For example, one of our partners recently shared that they are struggling to find pickers for their specialty cherries. With the C market price up, commodity farms are offering higher pay to those who will strip pick commodity cherries. Our specialty partners need to raise their compensation even more for those who will need to pick only the ripened cherries, which is a harder task that yields less volume per hour.
We sincerely appreciate your continued support and understanding as we navigate these changes. Our goal remains the same—to provide exceptional coffee with transparency and integrity. Thank you for being part of our journey and for choosing to support a coffee industry that values quality, sustainability, and fairness at every step.
