Coffee prices continue to climb, putting pressure on local shops

BATON ROUGE — Coffee prices are soaring, and local business owners say it’s hitting their bottom line.

Over the past several months, the cost of coffee beans has nearly tripled. Amber Elworth, owner of Light House Coffee on Lee Drive, said she used to pay $2.60 per pound for coffee beans. Now, even the cheapest beans cost her around $6.40.

“It’s really hard because we haven’t tripled our prices on the menu, and so it’s tight,” she said.

Brazil supplies a major portion of the world’s coffee, and recent U.S. tariffs — once as high as 70 percent, now around 50 percent — have pushed prices even higher.

“The majority of the coffee that we sell is espresso, and our espresso is almost 80% from Brazil,” Elworth explained.

Elworth said she’s trying to absorb as much of the increase as possib