The Cost of Coffee? It Appreciates!

“Coffee is an Act of Appreciation” - Felipe Trujillo, CEO Ventola Coffee, March 2026 

When it comes to the cost of coffee, appreciation is often not the first word that comes to mind! 

When I think of the cost of coffee, I think about:

  • what I pay at the register

  • the labor across dozens of hands from barista to farmer

  • hundreds of decisions that make that cup available

  • the personal or business budget

  • whether I liked my experience or not

  • words like ‘luxury’, ‘nice-to-have’, ‘indulgence’

  • the larger economics & climate impact on coffee production & transportation

etc.

When asked about the cost of coffee, Felipe – as a producer, importer, and rare person that has worked at each part of the coffee chain – invites us to broaden our perspective:

An amazing cup of coffee is the result of a series of events that build on themselves over time. 

The really good stuff requires proper infrastructure, long-term investment, education, dedication & perseverance. And like great art, the less there is of it and the harder it is to get means it becomes more costly. 

Coffee, like art, is the expression not only of craft, but of the being. The soul of a person, a family, a community, a piece of land, somehow making it into the latte or cappuccino, or pourover or drip or coldbrew we now have in hand. That spirit in the cup translates and can become something that speaks to our being as we drink it; it can become:

  • Energy

  • Comfort

  • Reprieve

  • Time with a meaningful other

  • Connection to those who came before us

  • Ritual

etc.

In appreciation of these things, Felipe invites us to:

  • Get to know the name of the producer and the farm the coffee came from

  • Let us know which coffees you’d enjoy seeing return

  • Ask for a coffee experience you’d like to have

 

And, please, enjoy the coffee!


You’re welcome to look through the slides from the conversation with Felipe at ICR last month:

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