Sizzling Snapshots: The Coffee Crisis Unfurls
Coffee prices are surging due to climate change impacts.
In the heart of Rochester, NY, Reneé Colón — the vibrant-haired proprietor of Fuego Coffee Roasters — stands on a stepladder, her laboratory of beans glimmering around her. Fragrant Brazilian coffee beans, ironically saved from the clutches of a global drought that ravaged coffee production in 2024, are her precious trophies.
As the world's primary coffee producers, Brazil and Vietnam, have been hit hard by drought, driving up the prices of raw beans by nearly double in just a few months. Rising environmental conditions have drastically shrunk coffee production, causing a 25% jump in coffee prices.
"We're staring at a coffee apocalypse," Colón warns, pouring the beans into her creaking old roasting machine. The current production shortages are catapulting specialty beans prices sky-high, making them a luxury rather than a daily indulgence. The mixed, midrange beans Colón is roasting cost her $5.50 per pound in early 2025 — more than double the cost from September 2024.
On the political front, President Trump's 10% tariffs targeting popular coffee-producing nations like Brazil, Ethiopia, and Colombia have coffee roasters in a stir. The uncertainty surrounding impending tariffs is shaking up the coffee industry, prompting some to reconsider their supply chains and consider growing their own coffee.
"Perhaps we should just grow our own damn farm — if only we could," Colón muses, shaking her head at the prospect of finding a suitable location that will deliver on quality and cost-effectiveness. Puerto Rico and New York offer too many obstacles, whereas countries in the equatorial zone, where the world's best coffee thrives, are expensive for labor and at increased risk to storms.
Declining global green coffee exports, as reported by the International Coffee Organization, indicate growing scarcity. In February 2025, exports dropped by 14.2% from the previous year, reaching a new record high for the price of raw coffee, surpassing the 1977 record, which saw a 70% loss of Brazil's coffee plants to severe frost.
The rising costs and declining supplies, however, are not solely driven by climate change, but also by inflation in labor, fertilizers, and borrowing costs. Rising labor costs in Mexico, for example, forced the buyers of San Francisco-based Ritual Coffee Roasters to reassess their investments there while navigating Trump's ever-fluctuating tariffs.
Meanwhile, Colón is bracing for steadily climbing prices, tariffs, and tumbling consumer confidence, all maintaining a delicate balance between costs and sales. She's crunching numbers, dubiously considering raising prices on wholesale roasted beans, pour-overs, and espresso drinks at her retail locations, all while striving to cut costs by saving on monthly storage costs and cultivating relationships with farmers to minimize price spikes.
As Colón forges ahead, she remains optimistic, banking on innovation and perseverance in the face of this epic coffee crisis. "We're not merely in the coffee business; we're in the joy-making business," she asserted, echoing the sentiments of her devoted customers. Despite the rising price tags, people still seek an escape from their daily routines, seeking the comforting warmth and memories that coffee embodies.
- Reneé Colón, in Rochester, NY, roasts Brazilian coffee, salvaged from a global drought that impacted production in 2024.
- The drought in Brazil and Vietnam, primary coffee producers, has increased raw bean prices nearly double.
- Colón warns of a "coffee apocalypse," as specialty beans become luxury items due to shortages.
- President Trump's tariffs on coffee-producing nations are causing unrest in the coffee industry.
- Colón ponders the idea of growing her own farm but struggles to find a cost-effective and suitable location.
- Declining global exports, as reported by the International Coffee Organization, imply growing scarcity, with exports dropping by 14.2% in February 2025.
- The coffee crisis is not only caused by climate change but also by inflation in labor, fertilizers, and borrowing costs.
- Rising costs and decreasing supplies force businesses like Ritual Coffee Roasters to reassess investments and navigate tariffs.
- Colón is balancing costs and sales, considering raising prices and cutting costs, while remaining optimistic, banking on innovation and perseverance in this coffee crisis.
