Coffee bean cost analysis: From origin to cup, revealing the true price of coffee beans!

Coffee bean cost analysis: From origin to cup, revealing the true price of coffee beans!

Coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the world, and hundreds of millions of people enjoy this fragrant beverage every day. However, few people know that when we taste a cup of delicious coffee, there is a complex and huge supply chain system hidden behind it. From the time the coffee beans are picked at the origin to the time they are carefully roasted and brewed by the roaster into a cup of fragrant coffee, all the links involved will affect the final selling price.

1. Coffee bean picking and processing

The first step is to pick the coffee cherries of suitable maturity and good quality at the origin. This process requires patience and skill, and is usually done by hand by local farmers. They will carefully choose the right time and method to pick, and ensure that only red or yellow fully ripe cherries are selected.

Then, soon after harvest, the coffee cherries are processed into coffee beans. There are two main processing methods: dry and wet. The dry method is to place the whole coffee cherry in the sun until the pulp is completely dry and hard. The wet method is to first peel the fruit, remove the mucilage, and then clean the beans through fermentation and washing steps.

2. Coffee bean grading and quality inspection

Once the beans have been processed, they need to be graded and inspected for quality. This process is usually done by professional tasters who evaluate the beans based on color, size, shape, and other characteristics.

High-quality coffee beans are often called "special" or "premium" and are large and uniform in size and free of any blemishes or off-flavors. Lower-quality beans may be used to make instant coffee or blended into other products.

3. Storage and transportation

Once graded and inspected, high-quality coffee beans are stored and shipped to roasting plants around the world. This process requires attention to maintaining the freshness and quality of the beans, so special packaging materials are usually used and ensure that they are not exposed to moisture or damage during transportation.

Coffee beans usually travel long distances by ship or plane, which is also a significant part of the cost. Air transportation is fast but expensive, while sea transportation is relatively cheap but takes longer.

4. Coffee Bean Roasting

Once the coffee beans arrive at the roastery, they undergo a critical process: roasting. Different degrees of roasting will produce coffee with different taste and aroma characteristics.

Each type has its own specific time and temperature requirements, from light roasts, which produce a light and more acidic coffee, to dark roasts, which produce a more bitter and full-flavored coffee.

5. Coffee beans retail

The final step is to sell the roasted coffee beans to consumers. This process usually involves wholesalers, retailers, and coffee shops.

Each link will have an impact on the price of coffee beans, which ultimately determines the amount consumers need to pay for a cup of coffee. In addition to costs, factors such as profit, operating expenses and market demand will also affect the final price.

in conclusion

Through the above analysis, we can see that the entire supply chain system from origin to cup plays an important role in the real price of coffee beans. Each link takes time, manpower and resources, and may be affected by factors such as weather, political stability and market fluctuations.

When we taste a delicious cup of coffee, we are not only enjoying the aroma and taste, but also tasting the hard work and efforts that farmers and professionals around the world have put in to bring us this drink.

Therefore, while enjoying the delicious taste, we should also cherish every coffee bean that is carefully cultivated, picked and processed, so that we can better understand the true value of coffee.