So let’s talk prices, yes that time has unfortunately arrived for us here at Casa too, something all businesses are having to face and something we have been trying to put off for some time. One of our aims is to make specialty coffee as accessible to the consumer as possible, one big part of that is keeping costs to a minimum so that you, the consumer, aren’t paying over the odds for your favourite coffee.
However, as we operate through a difficult period, things at the moment aren’t easy for small businesses up and down the country and as well as for the coffee industry. We’ve succeeded for the most part over the years but with costs rising rapidly we are forced to adjust with the current climate and inevitably that involves increasing our prices.
A big factor in rising costs is in the coffee industry and supply chain itself, the demand for coffee is at an all time high with business booming, but the supply chain is struggling. One problem alone is climate change which is dramatically affecting farms and farmers and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to grow and keep up with the demand. We’ve found even over the last year alone dramatic increases in coffee prices which has a huge knock on effect for us securing good prices for good coffee.
On to the UK itself, as we are all aware the current climate is extremely challenging and worrying with bills increasing and businesses suffering. In 2022 we moved premises as we outgrew our previous, a much needed bigger space for us to keep up with demand and It has paid dividends and we thank you for your support. But unfortunately, with a bigger space and more demand come bigger overheads. Rent of the bigger space has increased and along with that so have our bills.
To give you some examples, in the last 3 years our rent has gone up by 35%, wages 30%, electricity by 95% and gas by a whopping 150% Plus the continued rising costs of packaging, transport and fuel.
As you can imagine no business can keep operating in a sustainable way with these increasing costs.We want to continue to source and roast high quality coffees, we have always paid prices that are reflective of the coffee’s quality and that means paying well above the market price and supporting the producers.
As a result, we can no longer hold off and from the 16th February we will be increasing our prices.
Thank you for your understanding and your continued support.
On a separate note, we will have some news about our new packaging very soon, watch this space.
Nino