Roaster of $803-a-Pound Coffee Sees Supply Risk Amid Rout
- Bean diversity, unique flavors face threat from futures plunge
- Industry group searches for new price tools; farm losses mount
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The rout in benchmark coffee prices may threaten supplies of premium beans and the diversity of crop varieties sought by many roasters.
Farmers have been grappling with years of losses. In the long term, output of varieties that fall between commodity and ultra-premium beans, might decline, said Heather Perry, vice president of Klatch Coffee and board president of the Specialty Coffee Association. Increasing output of standard arabica and robusta beans undercut prices, while consumer demand for exclusive brands is increasing in the U.S., European Union and Japan.