A woman became angry after shelling out $15 for two coffees and a cafe owner warned higher prices are coming.
Phoebe Parsons, a Brisbane woman, said she ordered two small cappuccinos, one with oat milk and one with almonds, on New Year’s Day.
Despite knowing that the few open cafes would pass on holiday surcharges to customers and increase the cost of their coffees, she still scoffed in surprise at the price.
‘I understand why you have to do that from a business perspective… (but) what?’ she said in a tiktok video.
Social media users were shocked by the cost, adding that they also spent huge amounts on a simple cup of coffee.
“My husband paid $19.80 for two ice-cold little long black ones in Newcastle this morning,” one commented, adding that he “almost collapsed” from shock.
‘They just charged me $8.10. “I thought it was too much,” wrote a second.
“My iced latte today was $13.80 with the surcharge,” a third wrote.
Brisbane woman Phoebe Parsons (pictured) scoffed in shock after spending $15 on two small cappuccinos at a cafe on New Year’s Day.
A fifth said they no longer bought coffee outside the home to save money.
“I ended up buying a nice barista style coffee machine,” they wrote.
“It’s been a game changer for me and my family, my husband and I get freshly brewed coffees.”
Others said the cost was now “standard”, especially when you add in the cost of alternative milks and surcharges for the higher hourly rate for staff on holiday.
One of them pointed out that the rising price of coffee beans was adding to the rising operating costs of coffee shops.
“It’s realistic that most cafes are lucky to make a $0.50 profit on a $7 to $8 coffee when all expenses are taken into account,” they wrote.
ANZ Agribusiness Insights director Michael Whitehead said the cost of coffee would continue to rise in small increments alongside rising operating costs.
“A lot of people say, ‘I’m not going to pay six dollars for coffee,’ but then they will,” he said. yahoo.
Experts have warned that the cost of a standard coffee could continue to rise in 2025 due to cost of living pressures and the rising cost of beans.
The cost of Australians’ favorite Arabica beans last year hit $5.45 per pound, the highest cost in history and breaking a record set in 1977.
The increase is due in part to environmental factors that devastate crops in the few areas of the world capable of growing the sensitive coffee plant.
Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, was hit by heavy rains in October before experiencing drought-like conditions.
The second largest producer, Vietnam, has also been hit by drought-like conditions, further limiting the supply of coffee beans around the world.
However, limited supply is just one of many pressures hanging over cafes, with higher inflation rates causing the cost of rent, utilities and ingredients to rise.