Bean counters rate SA in world coffee price stakes

AS COFFEE lovers around the world celebrate the fragrant bean today, South Africans are probably paying about the sixth cheapest global price for a cup of brew.

Today marks International Coffee Day, and according to Finder’s Starbucks Index, South Africa ranks 71st out of 76 countries, or the 6th cheapest, for the cost of a coffee.

The Starbucks Index compared prices for an identical cup of coffee in 76 countries, and ranked Johannesburg as the 6th cheapest city to buy a tall latte, at $2.18, or R33.09.

Topping the list is Copenhagen, Denmark, where the same coffee costs the equivalent of $6.05 (R91.82), while those in Istanbul, Turkey, get the most for their buck, paying $1.78, or R27.02.

While the cost of a coffee includes other variances that aren’t included in the research, such as the cost of raw coffee, local labour costs and taxes, the index is an informal way to measure local prices.

“The least expensive part of the world to buy coffee in is Africa coming in at $2.27, or R34.45 – although this included a sample size of just three countries: Egypt, Morocco and South Africa. The second cheapest region was Oceania, including Australia and New Zealand, at $3.18, or R48.26.

“Europeans can expect to pay the most for a tall latte compared with other regions, with an average cost of $3.92, or R59.50. Prices are the steepest in Northern Europe (including countries like Ireland, Sweden and Denmark), averaging $4.74, or R71.94,” the research showed.

As coffee consumption has doubled in the past 40 years, the amount that coffee farmers are paid for their beans is at an all-time low, according to the Bean There Coffee Company, a roaster of Certified Fairtrade coffee.

Bean There works with co-operatives who represent anything from 600 to 4 000 farmers.

Company founder Jonathan Robinson said from bean to cup, the coffee-making process involved many hands.

“At every step, there is a person who loves coffee – a farmer, a roaster, a barista or a customer – it’s these people who make coffee great,” Robinson said.