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why we're increasing our prices (and why we wish we didn't have to)
Since the beginning, Wonky Coffee has been about more than just coffee.
We started our little company accidentally with a powerful mission: to fight food waste and make sustainability something everyone can afford. Not just those who can pay a premium. Just really good coffee, rescued from going to waste, packed by hand, and sent to likeminded people who want to make a positive impact in the world.
And because of you, and thousands of others, we’ve been able to rescue millions of pods and thousands of tonnes of surplus beans from ending up in landfill.
You took a risk on us, a tiny company trying to do the right thing. And we’re so grateful for that.
But right now, our hands are tied.
And we need to make a small change, not because we want to, but because we have to.
We’ve put off this decision for as long as we possibly could. We’ve run the numbers countless times, and tried to make changes in the background to prevent the inevitable. But doing things the right way, rescuing coffee, paying fair wages, packing by hand, have all gone up.
And as a small, completely self funded business, we can’t keep absorbing those increases without putting our mission at risk.
Here is a bit more context as to why we've had to increase our prices.
1. Coffee Prices Are at Record Highs
When we last adjusted our prices in 2022, green coffee was considerably less. But since then, the global market has changed dramatically.
The Independent reported that arabica beans hit a 47-year high, and warned UK coffee prices could climb another 25 percent in the coming year.
Even though we buy Wonky coffee from small and independent roasters across the world, the increase in prices have been passed on to us, and it now costs us significantly more to buy surplus coffee.
2. Labour Costs Have Risen Too
At Wonky, we pack every order by hand. Why? Because we rescue coffee from hundreds of different roasters, each with their own unique formats and requirements. That means careful sorting, batching, and packing all done by humans.
Recently, labour costs have risen, in part due to changes in employer National Insurance contributions and inflationary wage pressures across the UK. It’s been well documented in the media that UK retailers are facing significant upcoming costs due to changes in National Insurance, business rates, and minimum wage increases — all of which are contributing to higher consumer prices.
We’re proud to pay fair wages and to create real jobs. But these rising costs mean that our packing and fulfilment expenses have gone up significantly too.
3. We’re Still One of the Best Value Options Out There
Even after this small increase, Wonky Coffee is still 25 to 50 percent cheaper than the original retail price of the coffee we rescue. And we believe it offers better value and is more sustainable than almost any comparable pod or coffee bean.
Many small coffee businesses like ours have had to increase price. But of course , there are cheaper options out there, such as Amazon, Aldi or Lidl, but let’s compare apples with apples.
We rescue high-quality coffee from a lot of independent roasters, we don’t mass produce, and those businesses often treat coffee as a loss leader to get people into shops or onto their websites buying other profitable products.
price comparison
| 
| 
| 
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Price per pod |
25p |
45-90p |
37-45p |
24-35p |
Price per kg for bean and ground |
£22.99 |
£30-45+ |
£25-30 |
£15-25 |
4. We’re Doing This to Keep Going
We know price increases are never fun. That’s why we’ve absorbed these rising costs for as long as we possibly could and tried to avoid this altogether.
But at this point, keeping our prices the same would mean compromising, or worse, not being able to continue the work at all.
This small increase allows us to stay true to our mission and continue rescuing top-quality coffee from going to waste.
We’re not here to cash in, we live simply on the South Coast. We believe Wonky can make a positive change in the world by reducing waste, and we hope you’ll keep being part of it.
thank you for sticking with us
We don’t take your support for granted. Whether you’ve been with us since day one or just discovered Wonky, we’re so grateful to have you along the journey with us anad apart of our mission.
Together, we’re proving that sustainable choices don’t have to come at a premium. They just have to make sense. And thanks to you, this one still does.
If you’ve got questions about any of this, we’re always here. Just reply to your email or drop us a message.
To the Wonky ones,
Laurence & Harrison, and the Wonky team
Co-founders, Wonky Coffee
