Soaring coffee bean prices grind local business owners’ profits

FILE PHOTO: A worker selects coffee beans during harvest on a farm in the municipality of Espírito Santo do Pinhal on May 18, 2012 REUTERS/Nacho Doce/File Photo

JAKARTA: Coffee roasteries and cafe owners are grousing as bean prices reach record highs amid falling harvest outputs and strong demand from consumers, with some local businesses feeling the grind in their profits.

The average price for robusta beans stood at 41,013 rupiah per kg in February, rising over 34% compared with the same period last year, according to Agriculture Ministry data acquired by The Jakarta Post.