Coffee Prices Continue to Fluctuate

The cost of some of America's favorite coffee brands have dropped in the past year, according to the latest data from Price-Trak, an Albany, N.Y.-based market research company specializing in price and trade promotion reporting of 150 standard categories.

In 2015, the cost of Arabica beans dropped 20 percent on the world market, and brands like Folgers, Maxwell House and Dunkin Donuts have passed those savings on to their customers. However, Andy “Dewey” Rumpelt, president of Price-Trak, noted: "It's fair to say that price declines are over, and consumers will see retail coffee prices escalate due to growing world demand and dwindling stockpiles.”

Rumpelt said Folgers posted a price decline in June 2016 of 6 percent for ground/whole bean coffee, which was on top of 6 percent price decline on many of its varieties the prior August (2015), while Maxwell House responded by taking the same percent decline in October. In June of this year, Dunkin Donuts' coffee prices dropped by 7 percent, he continued. In contrast, The K-cup/pod segment last saw a price change in Q4 2014. "That price change was a significant increase of 9 percent on many K-cup varieties, from 8 O’Clock, Caribou, Green Mountain, Maxwell House, Newman’s Own and Tully’s," according to Rumpelt, who cited data from Price-Trak, which has been monitoring retail food prices for 40 years.

Price-Trak, National Promotion Reports LLC (formerly Leemis), provides specialized competitive cost and trade reports, monitors 150 standard warehouse categories, and provides manufacturers with easy-to-use syndicated reports to monitor price changes and trade allowances. Price-Trak also supports grocery wholesalers with pricing and promotional allowance understanding to help ensure grocery wholesalers and independents have the tools necessary to remain viable channels and compete effectively.