Coffee is an agricultural crop, so weather, pests, harvest conditions and the availability of labor can affect supply. The source also distinguishes coffees by species, origin and quality characteristics. Those factors help explain why one headline market number cannot describe every coffee offered to a roaster or a retail shopper.
A retail bag includes more than the underlying green coffee. Preparation, transport, financing, roasting, packaging and distribution can all form part of the route to the customer. When comparing prices, check the unit, quantity and stage of the product. A green-coffee price per pound and a roasted retail price per bag answer different questions.
Older market figures need a date and context before they are useful. This article does not repeat the source's historical prices as current quotations or offer a forecast. For a purchase, compare clearly identified coffees and what the seller actually supplies, including roast information and delivery terms. Understanding the layers of cost supports a better comparison than assuming a lower advertised number describes an equivalent product.
The conversation
A good question can make a better brew.