There isn’t a single part of the world that the COVID-19 Pandemic hasn’t affected. Many of us can admit that some of the effects have been positive, yet there are probably more negatives than we care to count.
It has certainly affected operations here at Karon Farm. On one hand, it brought a much greater awareness of our product to our local market, and we continue to be grateful for the support that the community has shown us.
On the other hand, our coffee bean supply has been impacted, just the way it has all over the world and with everything that is shipped in from overseas.
Karon Farm proudly buys specialty coffee that is sustainably and ethically sourced from the great coffee nations of the world such as Brazil and Colombia. We stay far away from the commodity market to ensure the coffee grower gets some of the money they deserve. This alone makes the price a little higher, but we know it is well worth paying the extra.
Since COVID first hit, we have watched the price of green coffee beans steadily climb on the commodity market, and the speciality market has followed that trend. As a reasonably new business, still building our clientele, we have not passed on these increases to our customers, and happily kept our prices steady.
Unfortunately, in the last three months alone, the price per kilo for green beans has experienced a jump of nearly 33%, and it’s not just COVID causing the rise.
For our Colombian beans, which helps to make up Mount Buninyong and Orgánico blends, a transport strike that started in June is causing significant disruption to distribution, making the price of the bean’s volatile. The Columbian Government is in negotiations with the transport companies, but at this stage, no agreement has been reached.
The Brazil bean, used in our Morning Habit and Lal Lal Falls blends, is also affected by transport, with freight costs at a record high from COVID-19. Add to that, Brazil has experienced its coldest weather since 1994, and the frosts have caused some serious damage to the crops.
At the heart of our business is our desire to deliver high quality, ethically sourced coffee beans that we blend in house at a reasonable price, because for us, it’s all about sharing our love of coffee.
However, if the market doesn’t settle, factors out of our control may cause the Karon Farm prices to change. Until then, we’ll continue to do what we can, where we can, to keep our prices the same for as long as we can afford to. That’s our promise to you.
If you’d like to know anything more about us, like where we source our beans, the roasting process or perhaps you’re ready to try something new, we encourage you to get in touch. After all, talking about coffee is almost as good as drinking it!