The price of coffee is soaring in the shops

Coffee risks becoming a luxury item. This is what experts warn about in DN's Latin American correspondent Henrik Brandão Jönsson's report from coffee plantations in Brazil.

- Fewer and fewer will be able to afford to drink good coffee, said Filip Åkerblom, one of Sweden's leading coffee experts.

An important reason is climate change, which can affect both harvests and quality.

This year, there have been sharp changes in the world market price of coffee. At its highest, it was in August at over 378 cents per pound. One pound equals 456 grams. The price is currently at 280 cents and at its lowest it has been down to 244 cents per pound at the beginning of August.

However, it takes time before the prices on the world markets hit the store shelves. But now the summer's high levels are beginning to be seen in Swedish stores.

In an examination of 10 chains by the comparison company Matpriskollen, where the price between October 1 and November 3 is compared, substantial increases are visible. On average, the price has risen by SEK 17 per kilo, with SEK 27 per kilo as the top quote.

- We will have to live with this new price level over Christmas and New Year and a bit into next year. Right now, there are too many parameters to see an exact direction forward, assesses Ulf Mazur, CEO of Matpriskollen.

- The reason is the coffee exchange, where the price has risen since last summer. Prices change five times a year in the grocery trade, and this week is a price change occasion, according to Ulf Mazur.

Stocks of raw coffee are also very small, at the same time there is concern that the weather phenomenon El Niño will affect future harvests, according to Matpriskollen.

If you look back a year, however, brewed coffee is 14 percent cheaper than a year ago. There, the temporary reduction in VAT has also depressed the price.

At Löfbergs, one of the major Swedish coffee roasters, they are aware of the new price increases.

- It is a consequence of the sharp rise in prices for the raw material during the summer. There is a delay when coffee roasters buy and secure the coffee until it reaches the store. The backlog is often three or four months, says Anders Thorén, communications manager at Löfbergs.

- But it has fallen since the higher levels last summer. So it is an indication that prices could go down in the next price period, he continues.

The company is aware that climate change risks affecting the industry.

- We have talked about that for a long time. That is one reason why we put a lot of effort into development projects to support growers to be able to face climate change, says Anders Thorén.

- The risk is that otherwise it could affect both the availability of coffee and the variety with different flavors, he says.