Dear Zoka Community,
Over the past year, the coffee industry has been experiencing unprecedented challenges. Green coffee prices have risen dramatically, by about $2.50 to $4.00 per pound. This is due to weather-related supply shortages and tariffs. Also packaging, shipping and labor costs continue to climb across the entire supply chain. These pressures are being felt by roasters large and small around the world.
Due to these changes, starting October 1, 2025, you’ll see an increase in the price of Zoka coffees—both for whole bean coffee and coffee drinks. This change comes only after much consideration.
While these challenges are industry-wide, we’ve worked hard to absorb as much of the impact as possible. But to continue bringing you the exceptional, hand-selected coffees you expect from us, a price adjustment is now necessary.
We want to be transparent about why:
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Green Coffee: The global supply of coffee has been affected by weather events and increased demand.
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Tariffs: Beginning this summer, tariffs on imported coffee rose steeply— to 50% on Brazil (the world’s largest producer), with 10–18% added on many other origins. Even though we source widely, these tariffs raise costs across the entire global supply chain. A tariff is a tax paid to the US Government on imported items at the time the product exits customs. Zoka pays this tariff directly and it stays as a tax with the US Government.
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Packaging & Labor: The costs of our packaging, shipping, and fair wages have all risen as well.
What hasn’t changed—and will never change—is our commitment:
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Quality: We are still working with the same farms we have worked with for more than a decade. We are committed to selecting the highest quality coffees and paying our farm partners fairly. Every Zoka coffee is still hand-selected and personally cupped by our founder, Jeff Babcock, former Cup of Excellence® judge.
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Fresh Roasting: We continue to believe fresh coffee is the best coffee and will keep our roast quality the same by roasting by hand, every weekday, and hand-packaging all bags.
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Barista Excellence Always: We continue to invest in barista training, ensuring every beverage meets the highest standards of quality. From dialing in espresso to creating a welcoming café atmosphere, our team is dedicated to making your Zoka experience exceptional.
We know price increases are never welcome, and we’re deeply grateful for your continued support. I’m thankful to you, our customers, and to our Farmers and our Zoka team for making our 28 years in coffee successful.
Thank you for standing with us—and for choosing to make Zoka part of your life.
Warmly,
Jeff Babcock
Founder & CEO
Zoka Coffee