Hi Pilgrims,
Lots has happened on this beautiful, contrary island since I last wrote in early 2022.
Renovations, menu changes, green developments, new faces, Air BnB to mention but a few, and this email will be followed by more of a newsletter to sing about all of that fun stuff. In this one however I will be discussing the pressing matter of a price increase. I'm going to keep it as efficient as I can manage but if you'd like to cut to the chase I've depicted the change in a little chart at the bottom of this message…
Towards the back end of last year, coffee prices reached a record high, and remain at or around those levels at time of writing. It's really a blog post in itself as to why this has happened, but I'm a roaster not an economist so I’ll attempt a summary.
The drivers as I understand it are the reduction over time in coffee production eroding global coffee supplies, which act as a buffer to yield deficits, due mainly to climate change. The general increase in coffee consumption (due mainly to happy pilgrims coffee customers and global trends:), and the increased costs of production from transport, labour, farm level inputs and energy costs.
When you think about it, we probably should have seen this coming!
It seems a bit scary, but it's not all doom and gloom. The boom in prices has meant that a lot of coffee producers are receiving more money for their hard work. Obviously a lot are producing less and in turn selling less so it's not all roses, but for me, this situation has really highlighted the true value of coffee and given me the understanding that there is a minimum price to pay regardless of the temptation of fluctuating prices.
Like almost everything we consume, we’re somewhat hidden from the realities and the true cost of production of these things we take for granted (not only financially, but socially and environmentally).
I like to think that those who drink Pilgrims coffee truly appreciate it and understand its value, not only for tasting great and keeping us awake, but for the bigger picture. It's my responsibility to ensure this faith is well placed.
To keep things in balance a change is required.
So how to go about it? In our opinion we had two options. Option one: decreasing our buying cost. This we could do by purchasing cheaper, lower quality coffee, grown without care for the planet, the people farming it and inevitably the flavour in the cup. But that would be a step backwards and fundamentally, not how we roll! (I’d sooner drink tea;).
So we’re left with option two: increase our prices. Price increases are a fact of life and it’s important we act so we can continue to fulfill our commitment to yourselves and our suppliers.
We’re confident our coffee still reflects value for money and the quality is only ever going to go up. That being said, we wouldn't just spring something like this on you so as of the 10th of April our website prices will be increasing for one off coffee sales. We are however going to keep the subscription prices unchanged for 6 weeks. You will continue to receive 10% for subscribing. If you don’t currently have a coffee subscription, now is the perfect time to seize the opportunity! If you need help with this please reach out.
We last adjusted our prices back in 2022 and have worked hard to delay any further increases as long as possible through efficiencies and absorbing it into margins. A lot of you lovely people have been with us for quite some years and we don't take your loyalty and enjoyment lightly. We’re in it for the long run and we hope to remain relevant and valuable till the bitter sweet end.
Faithfully, Andrew.
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