Shop owners think £5 for a coffee could soon become the norm
Could paying £5 for a standard cup of coffee soon become the norm? That's the fear among some coffee shop owners, who say it won't help their business. An organisation that analyses the sector says it could be a reality within two to three years."If we thought that a couple of years ago, we would have laughed at it", says Nicola Lockwood, owner of Bells Tea Shop in Lincoln."I am in quite a lot of [online] groups with coffee shop owners and the chat there is that £5 for a cup of coffee is going to be the norm. In some places, it's already hitting that."Some people have a coffee every day on their way to work. If you add that up over a week, month, year, you are talking a substantial amount of money. "It might make some people think twice about it."In Hull, Karen Wattam, of Garden Village Tearoom, thinks that will not go down well with her customers if the price does reach that."I just think it would be too much," she says."I think we'd lose a lot of business. In Hull, especially where we are, you can't command that much."
Jeffrey Young, CEO and founder of Allegra World Coffee Portal, which provides market research for coffee professionals, says the £5 cup of coffee is already the case in some shops."Larger drinks with add-ons, such as syrups and non-dairy milk, often bring the price to £5 already," he says."I remember 20 years ago, we were worried about the tipping point being £2."Here we are now talking about the £5 cup of coffee. Realistically, for the average consumer, it's two or three years away, but for many it is the reality now."The price of coffee on international commodity markets hit its highest level on record in December 2024.The price for arabica beans, which account for most global production, jumped more than 80% in the year. The cost of robusta beans hit a fresh high in September.Coffee traders said they expected crops to shrink after the world's two largest producers, Brazil and Vietnam, were hit by bad weather.Paul Rooke, executive director of the British Coffee Association, says weather-related issues have had an impact on prices, but that the beans are only part of the equation, with increasing energy, labour and business costs for cafe owners also pushing up prices.While higher prices will not be welcomed by consumers, Mr Rooke believes it is good news for producers, who could get a bigger return for their produce.
Nicola, whose tearoom is nestled in the heart of the city's Bailgate area and attracts a lot of tourists, charges less than £3 for an Americano coffee, but admits she may have to increase her prices."Coffee prices and chocolate bean prices are going through the roof at the minute," she explains. "There was a little dip, but now it's skyrocketed again. "We are getting messages through from our suppliers saying that the prices are going up and that they are going up significantly."Elsewhere in Lincolnshire, Nic Till, who owns Riverhead Coffee shops in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, says additional extras can push the price over £5 but "cannot see anywhere in North East Lincolnshire that's going to be charging that for a cappuccino or a flat white".
Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
25-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Shoppers 'say goodbye to coffee shops' thanks to 'superb' on sale coffee machine
The Philips 5500 Series LatteGo has been reduced on Amazon and its own brand website by £100, causing shoppers to ditch coffee shops in favour of a home made brew Coffee connoisseurs wanting to upgrade their morning routine with a brand new coffee machine are in luck, as a highly regarded Philips kitchen appliance that shoppers praise for delivering the 'best coffee' is on sale. Available on Amazon and on the brand's own Philips website, the Philips 5500 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine LatteGo usually retails at £649.99, but it's currently on sale for a limited time only for £549.99, meaning shoppers can save £100. Claiming to be 40% quieter than your standard coffee machine (you know that classic hum that coffee machines make when brewing a cup of Joe), the LatteGo Philips 5500 series espresso machine is made with SilentBrew technology and is a bean-to-cup model. This means that it needs coffee beans to work, which will then be ground and filtered through to your cup - as opposed to pod models, which only require coffee capsules to run, such as the Tassimo Finesse Friendly – Black & 'The Favourites' Coffee Bundle, which currently has 58% off at £49.99 down from £119.74. Ideal for those who want more than just a black Americano in the morning, or a creamy latte, this coffee machine has been crafted with the ability to make 20 different hot and iced coffees, ranging from the likes of espresso, cappuccino, latte macchiato, iced coffee, Americano, caffè crema to iced americano, and more. While a lot of home coffee machines come with a milk frother, it's usual for the milk to be manually hand-steamed by its user, such as the DELONGHI Stilosa EC260CR Coffee Machine (on sale at Curry's for £99 from £126.99) or Ninja's Luxe Premier Espresso machine (also £549 and one machine our own Ruth Ovens tested out here) - which is a skill in itself. However, the Philips machine has a seamless section to automatically steam milk to whatever the preferred setting. This means no need to perfect the technique of steaming milk with a wand as its Latte Go system claims to create 'silky smooth milk froth at the touch of a button, even with plant-based milk alternatives' - quite the feat. Shop it here Product Description With smart technology, the coffee machine uses one-touch buttons to generate the coffee of choice and can be personalised with up to four different user profiles to make the perfect brew for each family member. While it claims that it offers up to 40% less brewing noise than previous models, some people haven't been left convinced as a number of reviews have shared that the coffee machine has 'a 'knocking' noise, which 'can be heard every time a coffee is made' whilst the entire process is very audible. A vast number of other shoppers are thrilled with their purchase, hailing it for delivering the 'best' coffee. One happy Amazon customer shared a glowing testimonial after receiving the Philips 5500 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine LatteGo and said: "I have always wanted a proper coffee machine, but my kitchen space was limited until this little beauty. It is sleek and easy to is quiet compared to ones that my friends have. "Most importantly, it makes a terrific cup of coffee in super quick time. The controls are easy to navigate though there isn't really a proper instruction leaflet. I am drinking more coffee as a result of the quality and selection that I now have." On Philips' website, someone else chimed: "This coffee machine is the best I've ever owned, absolutely fantastic! Every morning, I get excited to use it, as it consistently makes the most flavourful and rich coffee. The LatteGo system creates super smooth, frothy milk and is incredibly easy to clean, unlike other coffee machines I've owned. The machine's ease of use and precision ensure a perfect cup every time. It even has profiles for 4 people, remembering each person's coffee settings just how they like it, plus a guest profile for visitors. Cleaning and maintenance are also a breeze, making it even more convenient. With its sleek design and robust performance, it's a dream come true for any coffee lover." Another happy fan of the gadget said: "Outstanding bit of kit. Consistently makes superb coffees. Easy to clean and maintain. Highly recommended if you enjoy a proper coffee," while a fourth echoed: "This is such a great coffee machine! It literally does everything for you and makes coffee as good as the coffee shops. It looks great on your kitchen worktop as it's very stylish and it's not too big either. It's got a Digital touchscreen which you use to select from a whole range of drink options. "I particularly like how if you delve into the options within this display, you can select extras and customise any of your drinks which take your fancy, such as extra frothy or more or less milk. The options really are endless to make that absolutely perfect cup to exactly how you like it." They added that both ground coffee and beans can be added to the machine. If using beans, the website explains how it's 100% ceramic grinders fine-tune the grind size using one of 12 settings to create the perfect brew. They also complimented the construction, especially the dispenser, which can be moved "to the required height so for example, a tall travel cup - you can move it up; espresso shot - move it down. They concluded: "It makes the best drinks with no need to go to a coffee shop. Highly recommend! A great investment piece." The Philips 5500 Series Fully Automatic Espresso Machine is on sale at Amazon for £549.99 here.
Metro
12-05-2025
- Metro
Which high street coffee shop has the best value loyalty card scheme?
High street coffee shop loyalty schemes are 10 a penny, and you may find that you end up with an abundance of loyalty cards weighing down your purse. Each scheme offers you points every time you buy a coffee, with the reward of a free coffee – and more – when you fill up the card. Different coffee shops require you to buy a different amount of coffee before bagging a free one, and some offer points for other things as well. With increasing costs, choosing which café chain to visit based on value-for-money is more important than ever. Let's take a look at what each loyalty card scheme offers. We looked at loyalty schemes from Costa, Starbucks, Caffè Nero, McDonald's, Greggs, Grind, and Pret A Manger and have ranked them here in order of best to worst value. Greggs offers loyalty scheme customers freebies on coffees, pastries, and more. You just have to buy nine items in the same category (for example, nine coffees) and you get the tenth free. The cheapest coffee at Greggs is a Regular Americano, which costs £1.50, so you would have to spend £13.50 to get a free coffee. Being a fast food chain, McDonald's doesn't just serve coffee. Their MyMcDonald's Rewards scheme is a loyalty programme that allows customers to earn one point for every penny they spend at participating stores. But, say you are just after a coffee, their cheapest product is either a White Coffee or an Americano, at £1.39 each. According to the scheme, you need 1,500 points to redeem either a small portion of fries, a medium salad, a regular McCafé, a mini McFlurry, a hash brown, or a regular drink. To earn 1,500 points, you need to spend £15. So, that's 11 coffees, equating to £15.29. Caffe Nero's loyalty scheme requires you to get nine stamps (one nine coffees since one coffee = one stamp) before getting a coffee for free. However, it also gives you an extra point for using a reusable cup, meaning you only actually have to buy five coffees to get one free. You can also get a free coffee just by downloading the Caffè Nero loyalty scheme app using a referral link. Additionally, you can get free drinks for each friend you refer who also signs up and makes a purchase, meaning you can technically get multiple free coffees from Caffè Nero without spending a penny. The cheapest coffee at Caffè Nero is a regular Americano at £3.60, meaning that, if you used a reusable cup every time you bought a drink, you would have to spend £18 to be entitled to a free coffee. Pret's loyalty scheme – aka 'Pret Perks' – gives you a star every time you buy something in store and scan the code in your Pret app. If you get 10 stars, you get a perk (which could be anything from a free croissant to a coffee). You can also join The Half Price Coffee Club. For just £5 per month, take advantage of up to five hot or iced Barista-made drinks a day with 50% off. The cheapest coffee at Pret is a filter coffee at £1.90, meaning you would have to spend £19 in-store to get a freebie. Pret does offer a 50p discount to those who use a reusable cup in store though, so if you used one every time you bought a filter coffee, this would cut the price of a free treat down to just £14. Costa's loyalty scheme says customers need to get 10 'beans' to claim a free coffee (each coffee purchased = 1 bean). However, if you bring your reusable cup, you get an extra bean, so you could get a free drink by just buying five coffees. The cheapest coffee at Costa is an Americano at £3.80, meaning that if you brought in a reusable cup every time, you will have to spend at least £19 (five Americanos, each with reusable cups) to get a free coffee. At Starbucks, for every £1 you spend, you collect 10 stars. At 130 stars, you get a free drink – anything from filter coffee, hot teas or a signature Americano. More Trending Starbucks also charges 5p extra for customers who use a takeaway cup. Customers who bring their own reusable cup receive a 25p discount. An Americano costs £3.80 at Starbucks, so you would have to buy 5 of these before getting a freebie. This would cost £19. London-based coffee chain Grind gives loyalty scheme customers one point for every £1 spent in-store. You have to get 35 points to get a free coffee, meaning you have to spend £35 to bag a freebie. This could include a coffee, an Espresso Martini, ten of Grind's compostable coffee pods or a pouch of coffee. The cheapest coffee on the menu at Grind is an Americano at £2.40, so you would have to buy 15 of these before being entitled to a free coffee. This adds up to £36. View More » MORE: Map reveals the UK loan hotspots where people borrow the most money MORE: Brits could save £868,000,000 a year with these kitchen cupboard cleaning swaps MORE: When do you start paying National Insurance and how much is it?
Telegraph
07-04-2025
- Telegraph
‘This smells like a mechanic's ashtray': The best and worst supermarket coffee beans
The Italians are different to us, when it comes to coffee at least. So says Dominic Borel, who, with his cousin Ben Harvey, runs three Italian restaurants in Bristol. The dark-eyed Borel, whose grandfather Aldo Bianchi was born on Lake Como to a family of chefs and restaurant managers, explains to me, ' The Italians drink coffee in a fast and furious way – elbow on the counter, drain the cup and go – so their coffee is lighter and less powerful than ours.' That's right: a shot of espresso, steam-powered speedily through a machine, might taste strong but contains less caffeine than a 150ml cup of coffee made using the same amount of ground coffee, and given a lengthy steep in a cafetière. Those tiny espresso cups play a part too, agrees Borel, 'It's the culture of a tiny glass of wine or coffee and a catch-up in the bar, keep on moving to the next spot – keeping up with the news, who's selling their farm, who's back, who has wood to sell – all the little village tales.' It's a romantic vision, and maybe explains why Italian coffee is holding its own, despite being unfashionable with hipster coffee drinkers, who prefer lighter roasted 'speciality' coffee. Italian-style coffee machines dominate in cafés, with the four most popular drinks – latte, Americano, cappuccino and flat white – all being based on espresso, that most Italian of coffees. The popularity of at-home coffee machines is growing too and supermarket sales of coffee beans are up 7 per cent on four years ago, according to market researcher Kantar. We bought 2.5 million bags of espresso coffee in the past year alone. Borel and I set to tasting. We borrowed a gleaming red Smeg espresso machine, all Vespa curves and Fellini cool, which had no problem grinding the beans and shooting out 13 perfect double shots of espresso (as you would hope, as it comes with an £849 price tag). My daughter, a trained barista, came home to work the beast. Then, in an un-Italian way, we sniffed, sipped and tasted – no knocking it back, though we did keep our elbows on the counter.
