When rising coffee prices lead to new questions

Over the past few weeks, the public conversation around coffee has clearly intensified.

RTL Germany recently aired an in-depth report exploring a topic many consumers are starting to feel directly. Why is coffee getting so expensive. And is it still worth the price.

The segment began with a straightforward question.

How much should good coffee cost?

From €1 discount machine coffee to €4.40 branded takeaway cups, the report compared price, volume and taste. Experts measured concentration levels, tested flavour profiles and even exposed how darker roasting can mask lower bean quality.

The conclusion was nuanced. Expensive does not automatically mean better. Marketing plays a role. But true specialty quality still stands out when done right.

Then the report zoomed out.

Behind price debates lies a deeper issue. Supply pressure.

Researchers explained that three of the last four years saw global coffee deficits. More coffee was consumed than produced. Stocks are tight. Climate volatility is reducing predictability. When supply tightens, prices rise.

And that is where alternatives enter the picture.

RTL visited researchers working on roasted pea-based coffee alternatives (like Koppie) and hybrid blends. The idea is simple. If classic coffee supply remains under pressure, mixing conventional beans with alternative ingredients could stabilise availability and eventually pricing.

Our pure pea coffee was described as slightly sweeter and maltier. Surprisingly close.

Then there was the 50% blend. According to the reporter, it smelled and tasted like normal coffee.

The conversation is not framed as replacement. It is framed as extension. As stretching coffee responsibly in times of constraint.

For us, this reflects exactly why hybrid models make sense.

The volatility is real. The pricing pressure is visible. Consumers are starting to question what they pay for and why.

When mainstream German television connects rising prices, supply deficits and hybrid alternatives in a single narrative, it signals something important: The coffee discussion is maturing.

We believe the category will evolve pragmatically. Not dramatically.

And it is encouraging to see that this evolution is now being discussed openly in one of Europe’s largest coffee markets.