Coffee-producing company Meama declares, that prices on the raw materials have increased by 20-30% in the last year. The company imports coffee beans from more than 20 countries.
The general director of "Meama" Luka Kapanadze explains the price increase with the poor harvest and the increased demand from coffee importing countries. As he notes, the company will not increase the prices at this stage, although he does not know how long they will be able to maintain it.
"We are trying to respond to the price increase on the world markets by making our operational processes cheaper. At the same time, there is an increase in consumer demand in the HoReCa sector, and there is a 35-40% increase in demand for our coffee in cafes and restaurants compared to the same period last year.
We try to offset the reduced profit margins from retail trade at the expense of HoReCa segment. However, it is difficult to predict how long it will be possible to maintain the prices. If product prices increase by 30-40%, we will have to review the selling prices," explained Luka Kapanadze.
It is noted that in 2022, coffee imports to Georgia increased by 24.7%. In 5 months of this year, 2,832 tons of coffee entered Georgia, for which the country paid USD 9.9 million. The average price of 1 ton was USD 3,503.
Last year, the country bought 2,270 tons of coffee and USD 6.1 million went out of the country. The average price of 1 ton of coffee was USD 2,704. This year's price is 30% higher than last year's.
Georgia buys coffee beans from several countries. Indonesia (1,579 tons), Vietnam (403 tons), Russia (226 tons), Germany (155 tons) and Italy (102 tons) are among the 5 largest coffee importing countries.
