Coffee Hero

INeedCoffee just published my interview with Chris Arnold about the Green Coffee Buying Club.

While researching the economics of home coffee roasting, I wanted to learn more about a green coffee buying cooperative.  Green bean coffee cooperatives are groups that pool their money together to buy sizes of unroasted coffee that are usually only available to commercial roasters.

Here is what Chris said when I asked him how much a member of the buying club would pay for a typical coffee offering.

…Also, since most shipments are done with US Postal Service Flat Rate boxes, your best price per pound will be when that box is maxed out.  Most boxes hold between 10-15 pounds of Green (unroasted) Coffee.  So a typical nice Ethiopian Harrar for example might come in at $2.50/lb.  So on 15 lbs, the coffee is $37.50, shipping is about $10, and the “PayPal, insurance, & packaging fees” are about another $10.  So $37.50 + $10 + $10 = $57.50/15 lbs = $3.83/lb, or about $4/lb in round numbers.

If you are interested in home coffee roasting, be sure to read the full interview Meeting Up With The Green Coffee Buying Club.

Sources:

Meeting Up With The Green Coffee Buying Club – INeedCoffee interview.

Green Coffee Buying Club – Site for the Green Coffee Buying Club.

Chris Arnold – INeedCoffee contributor page.

Tags: club, green beans, home roasting, interview