Cost of caffeine fix set to soar

LOVERS of Colombian coffee could face a hike in the cost of their daily caffeine fix as poor crops and strong demand turn up the heat on price, it was revealed.

A shortage of Colombian Arabica, driven by bad weather and a government programme to overhaul the country’s production, has seen the price of the premium coffee soar to a 12-year high and other blends are also seeing rises.

Maxwell House coffee brand owner Kraft increased the price of its Colombia blend by almost 19% in the US last month and Jose Sette, head of operations at the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), said it is possible others will follow suit.