Coffee: The Black Gold That Fuels Your Mornings (And Why It’s Getting Pricier)

Ahoy, shipmates! Gather 'round and hoist a mug because we've got some salty news to share about your favorite high-octane fuel—coffee.

Now, before you start flailing around like a junior Sailor who just spilled his first cup of Haze Gray, hear us out. The world of coffee is a lot like oil (except instead of fueling warships, it fuels your ability to tolerate humanity before 0800). Coffee prices, much like crude oil, fluctuate wildly due to global supply and demand, bad weather, and a bunch of people in suits trading it like it's the stock market's version of a high-stakes poker game.

And just like how gas prices at the pump make you consider dusting off that old bicycle in the garage, coffee prices are climbing, too. Over the past two years, Arabica coffee prices have skyrocketed by approximately 154%, jumping from $1.50 per pound in March 2023 to $3.81 per pound in March 2025 (source). That means at some point in 2025, we may have to adjust our prices—not because we suddenly want to buy a fleet of luxury yachts (we’re a coffee company, not a hedge fund), but because green coffee bean costs have been skyrocketing faster than a fighter jet off a catapult. While we're holding the line for as long as we can, the pressure is real, and we want you to be in the loop.

So, let's break it down salty Sailor-style, so you know exactly why your morning brew is costing a few more doubloons.

1. The Weather Gods Have Spoken (And They're Angry)

If you thought Neptune could get moody, Mother Nature just turned the world's best coffee farms into her own personal battleground.

Brazil—the biggest coffee producer on the planet—has been dealing with droughts so bad that even the cacti are looking a little parched. The Amazon's rainfall levels are at historic lows, and the drought has devastated coffee farms in Minas Gerais, where over 70% of Brazil's Arabica coffee is grown. Without rain, coffee plants don't produce as many cherries, and fewer cherries mean fewer beans. And fewer beans? Higher prices.

Meanwhile, Colombia and Guatemala have been battling unpredictable weather shifts, from excessive rainfall to heatwaves that mess with the delicate coffee-growing cycle. Sumatra hasn't been spared either—rising temperatures and shifting monsoon seasons have made high-quality yields harder to maintain.

And let's not forget Kona, Hawaii, where even small changes in climate can have a huge impact on the already limited supply of this world-renowned coffee. Kona farmers have been dealing with volatile weather and rising production costs, making those smooth, rich beans even more valuable.

But wait, there's more! Over in Vietnam, the world's second-largest coffee producer and a key supplier of robusta beans (the kind used in espresso and many mass-market blends), droughts have also been wreaking havoc. While Old Salt Coffee doesn't source from Vietnam, its struggles still impact the global market, driving up prices across the board.

Translation: Your coffee costs more because the weather is acting up, and no, we can't just sail over there and "fix it."

2. Speculators—Because Nothing Says "Fair Pricing" Like a Bunch of Suits Gambling With Your Coffee

Coffee, like oil, is traded on global commodity markets, and those markets are filled with speculators—people who don't actually grow, roast, or even drink coffee but love betting on whether prices will go up or down.

Lately, these Wall Street types have been driving up coffee prices faster than a fresh Ensign speeds toward their first mistake. The reason? They're betting on shortages.

With Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam, and other major coffee producers struggling to meet demand, these market "geniuses" decided to buy up coffee futures like they just discovered caffeine for the first time. The more they bet, the more the price climbs—even before the coffee is even harvested.

That means the cost of green coffee beans shoots up, and we either adjust prices or start selling "Old Salt Tea" instead (which, let's be honest, is never happening).

Translation: Some Wall Street coffee gamblers are driving up the price of your brew, and we don’t even get a cut of the winnings.

3. Global Coffee Reserves Are Running Low (Because Apparently, Everyone is Panic-Buying Like It's 2020 Again)

Just like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve exists to keep oil flowing in a crisis, there's something called the International Coffee Reserve—a stockpile that major coffee-producing countries use to stabilize supply and demand.

The problem? Those reserves are running dangerously low.

Between bad weather, rising demand (turns out more people than ever are guzzling coffee worldwide), and those aforementioned speculators hoarding beans like doomsday preppers, the stockpiles are at their lowest levels in over a decade. And when supply gets tight, the market does what it does best—make things more expensive for everyone.

Meanwhile, farmers are reluctant to sell their remaining beans because they know prices could go even higher. It’s a giant caffeine-fueled game of chicken, and we’re all stuck in the middle.

Translation: The world's coffee stash is looking more like a junior Sailor's paycheck on the 28th of the month—almost empty.

Final Word: Hoist a Mug & Stay the Course

At the end of the day, we’re all in this together. We’ll keep roasting the best coffee on the planet, telling sea stories, and roasting the Air Force whenever we can.

Now, we know that when prices rise, some folks start looking for “substitutes.” That’s what the economists call the substitution effect—where people start thinking, "Maybe I should switch to tea? Maybe instant coffee isn’t that bad?" Stop right there, shipmate. That’s mutiny.

Instead of turning to some sad, flavorless, low-grade swill that tastes like it was brewed through an old sock, why not upgrade to a coffee that’s actually worth your hard-earned money? If you’re going to hoist a mug, make it a damn good one.

If you’ve got questions, send ‘em our way. And if you want to stock up on your favorite blend before any potential price changes? We won’t stop you. In fact, we’d salute your foresight—because nothing says “preparedness” like having a ship’s hold full of high-quality, fresh-roasted Old Salt Coffee.

Oh, and if you’re looking for coffee that actually tastes like coffee (instead of whatever Black Rifle is microwaving these days), you’re in the right place. We don’t water down our brews or our opinions—just bold coffee, roasted fresh, and packed with the grit of real Sailors.

Fair winds, following seas, and strong coffee always.

☕ Hoist a Mug, Shipmate.