Why are coffee prices rising in the U.S.?

It's not only the surging cost of eggs that is making breakfast pricier these days — the price of coffee is also spiking because of a confluence of factors.

The cost of wholesale arabica beans — the most popular on the planet — surpassed $4 a pound for the first time this month and have doubled over the past year, running up from less than two bucks a pound in January 2024 to a record $4.30 a pound on February 13, 2025, according to futures contracts traded in New York. 

For consumers still grappling with high food costs, that means soaring prices in the grocery aisle. The retail price of ground coffee hit an all-time high of $7 a pound in January, up 75% from $4 in January 2020, government data shows.