We hear the same question at every coffee festival: "Why is direct-trade specialty coffee so expensive?" It's a fair question and the answer is more interesting than "because it's better." Here's the math on a 12-ounce bag of our Felicidad, retail price $12.50.
Where the $12.50 actually goes
Green coffee, paid to the farmer at our standard 14% premium over C-market: $4.20. That's roughly 33% of the retail price going to the person who grew it. The conventional supply chain typically delivers 8–12% to the farmer.
Export, shipping, customs and import: $1.15. We work with a single export partner in Buenaventura we've used since 2021. They charge more than the cheapest option. They also don't lose pallets.
Roasting, including labor and our share of the drum's depreciation: $2.30. Packaging — the kraft bag, the one-way valve, the label printing — $0.90. Fulfillment, warehouse and shipping to you: $1.85. Card processing, returns, and reserve for the occasional bag we have to replace: $0.55. Everything else (rent, software, the salaries of the four people who run this company): $1.55.
What we don't spend on
We don't spend anything on advertising. We don't pay influencers or run sponsored posts. We don't have a marketing department. The reason we can afford to pay farmers a 14% premium is that we redirect every dollar a comparable company spends on customer acquisition back into the price of green coffee.
Word of mouth is slower than paid acquisition. It's also the only marketing strategy that respects our customers' time. If you've ever recommended Brewtopia to a friend, you are why we can keep doing this. Thank you.
