Pretty much the title. I’ve noticed lately that more independent and non-grocery roasters will have 12 ounce bags instead of one pound.
Is there a special reason for this beyond, I assume, bringing the price of more gourmet-ish coffee to a price point comfortable for the average consumer?
Also, shout out to King Bean in South Carolina, I love their Capers Blend.
A true pound of green yields roughly 12 ounces of roasted coffee. 12oz bags have been standard in speciality shops for a long time honestly.
MANY products have seen slow shrinkage over the last decade. 16>13 oz. chip bags, 13 cookies instead 16 … That candy bar that used to be 3" across is now 2.5 " across? Result: 2/3 of the surface area = 50% more profit. The price stays the same and they hope you don’t notice how much less you’re getting. Another side of this is the drop in the quality of ingredients.
My local roaster weighs out a pound for ya before grinding.
I think it’s shrinkflation if you’re getting 12oz vs a pound for the same price as before
Absolutely, Starbux has been lessening the ounces and raising the prices for several years.
Child labor costs are rising in West Africa so Starbucks needs to consider their shareholders. I say this as a coffee drinking hypocrite. Even ethically certified coffee is constantly outed. You can buy from Hawaii but then there’s the issue they destroy the local environment to grow it. I just trust my current sources as being true fair trade and they are 2-3x the price of the stores.
The only time I used to buy specialty coffee (years ago) was from a single location and it was always Jamaican Blue Mountain. At that time they sell it like deli items and weigh it on a scale to get you whatever amount you wanted.
I don’t think what I’m seeing is shrinkflation as it’s just as I’ve gotten back into drinking specialty coffee.
Honestly the 1 lb. green = 12 oz. roasted makes sense for what I’m seeing. The grocery brands or chains like Starbucks, that I’d believe is shrinkflation for short.
I have a local roaster who sells roast-to-order beans by the pound. He estimates how much green coffee it’ll take to produce a pound after roasting. Sometimes you get more than a pound, which is a nice bonus.
I will say, at the rate I go through coffee I actually prefer 12 ounces. It makes it easier for me to keep the coffee fresh. I usually order multiple bags of beans and vac seal freeze all but one bag. That local roaster’s coffee is so good though, so I may order from him again soon!
