Essay about Coffee Supply, Demand and Price Elasticity

GMCR’s warns of the potential impact of the price of coffee on the gross profit margin. To combat this, GMCR had made a number of purchase commitments to ensure an adequate supply of coffee (GMCR Annual Report, 2010). The market price for coffee is impacted by numerous factors including weather, economy, and competition. It is vital that GMCR continue to take proactive measures to secure against unforeseen spikes in coffee prices. The price of coffee does not only impact GMCR’s ability produce coffee for the Keurig brewer under its namesake but impacts their partner suppliers as well. GMCR purchases coffee from brokers, farms, estates, and cooperative groups and essentially diversifies its coffee supply, reducing some supply risk (GMCR Annual Report, 2010).

The coffee served in Second Cup is also high quality and the drinks available strongly rival those in Starbucks. In the past decade there has been an explosive growth of 157% in the area of coffee shop market. Canadian coffee market share, new companies have limited to no space for growth in North America. Second Cup’s market share at the Canadian market is about 8%.Upon these facts and analysis there is an unlimited growth possibilities in the coffee market in Canada. There are different factors that do influence in the purchase of coffee from these outlets and the the way these coffees are priced. Customers are reluctant to get coffee from these outlets as the prices are too high than the coffees that could be made at home. There is a huge conflict between the pricing of coffees at these places and homemade ones. Coffee shops are determined to serve the best quality coffees which are been imported from South America and Africa, due to the rise in oil prices transportation charges have also been increased. And also due to different global climatic conditions the prices of these gourmet coffee beans have been increased.

* Interest rates – An increase in interest rates in the USA would result in plans for investment and expansion being deterred by the Starbucks resulting in decreased productivity of the company. Furthermore, increased expenses for the consumers such as rising mortgage repayments would result in decreased availability of income to spend on luxurious products such as coffee. Low interest rates should have the

There are numerous factors that can impact the long-term equilibrium, such as changes in supply. Generally the supply will increase and a new equilibrium will be found. Yet if a unanticipated event occurred that prevented an increase in supply being available for the market, then we can expect a different adjustment. A great example would be, if a hard freeze eliminated Brazil’s premium coffee crop. That would cause a negative shift in the supply curve. Assuming demand remains constant, a negative shift in the supply curve will cause quantity to decrease and equilibrium price to increase. Brazil is responsible for approximately 25% of the world’s coffee supply. According to coffee research.org “ news of Brazil coffee frosts echoes around the world within a matter of minutes. Correspondingly, coffee prices usually jump due to expectations of a worldwide coffee shortage.” ("Coffee frosts," 2001)

In years past, coffee was relatively inexpensive to buy because coffee was typically consumed in certain countries, but now that many more countries are consuming coffee, the supply is having a difficult time keeping up with the demand. For instance, if economists predicted in 1980 that the demand for coffee would increase between 50% and 80% by 1990, then it would stand to reason that farmers would have probably enlarged the size of their crops in order to accommodate the demand. However, in 1990 the demand for coffee only rose by 10% thereby creating a surplus of coffee on the market for consumers. Because coffee is so easily obtainable, and farmers are trying to sell their goods so the crops will not go to waste, prices begin to drop to help tempt purchasers, which helps the producers so they avoid losing their investment entirely.

Apple juice and orange juice are substitutes for consumers, so the fall in the price of apple juice decreases the demand for orange juice. The demand curve for orange juice shifts leftward. The increase in the wage rate paid to orange grove workers raises the cost of producing orange juice. The supply of orange juice decreases and the supply curve of orange juice shifts leftward. The net effect of these events decreases the equilibrium quantity but has an undetermined effect on equilibrium price. If supply decreases by more than the demand, the shift in the

This causes the price and the quantity move in opposite directions in a supply curve shift. Also, if the quantity supplied decreases at any given price the opposite will happen.

A shift in either the demand or supply of coffee could be caused by a number of things. I will start with factors that could trigger a shift in the demand curve of my product of choice. The demand curve according to Mankiw (2008), shifts "if something happens to alter the quantity demanded at any given price." To begin with, customer preferences could bring about a shift in the demand for coffee. In this particular case, the amount of coffee consumers demand would increase were consumer's preferences to change in favor of coffee. The reverse is true. A shift in demand could also be brought about by changes in price of other related goods. Here, an increase in the price of complimentary goods, i.e. sugar would reduce the quantity of coffee demanded by customers of the same at any given price. On the other hand, was the price of a substitute good i.e. tea to increase, the quantity of coffee demanded (at the prevailing prices) would increase. The reverse is true in both instances. Changes in income could also lead to a shift in demand. As people's income increase, their demand for coffee would most likely increase and vice

does not shift when the price of hot dogs changes because the quantity demanded of hot dogs is measured on the horizontal axis of the graph.

Assuming that the demand and supply for premium coffees are in equilibrium, the price will be at a constant, without significant pressure from the market. If Starbucks introduced the world to premium blends, this would cause a positive shift in the demand curve. There a higher equilibrium price and higher quantity when demand increases and supply remain unchanged. As prices increase, and the market moves to a new equilibrium, we will see higher wages, more advances and investments in technology and infrastructure, and greater competition. As production become more efficient and competition becomes greater, supply will increase and cause prices to settle back down. There are several factors that will impact the long-term equilibrium, such as changes in supply. For example, if a hard freeze eliminated Brazil’s premium coffee crop, this would cause a negative shift in the supply curve. Assuming demand remains constant a negative shift in the supply curve will cause quantity to decrease and equilibrium price to increase. Research shows that in 2011 a frost occurred in Brazil's southeastern coffee growing belt. Traders worried that next year's yields could be hurt. At the same time, heavy rains during harvest forced Columbia to reduce its crop estimate for 2011. Understanding the impact of problems along the supply chain and how the changes in supply

Supply and demand for products, currencies and other investments creates a push-pull dynamic in prices. Prices and rates change as supply or demand changes. If something is in demand and supply begins to shrink, prices will rise. If supply increases beyond current demand, prices will fall. If supply is relatively stable, prices can fluctuate higher and lower as demand increases or decreases. Effect on Short- and Long-Term Trends

Evaluate each of the following changes in supply and/or demand. How will each affect equilibrium price and quantity in a competitive market? Will price and quantity rise, fall, or be unchanged? Based on shifts, will the answers be indeterminate?

A review of the estimated growth in retail sales of coffee over the next four years indicates that while sales of non-specialty coffee products are expected to decline, sales of ground specialty coffee products and whole bean coffee should rise. Further, sales of ready-to-drink products are projected to rise almost 50%.

The demand for coffee shops is born from the increased number of individuals seeking coffee brewed outside of the home. This creates a larger market for coffee shops. An increased amount of people are starting their mornings off by purchasing breakfast and a cup of coffee away from home (Tuttle 2014), more people are enjoying gourmet coffee (NCA National Coffee Drinking Trends 2015 Infographic), and younger generations are demanding more coffee and coffee drinks from coffee shops (Tuttle 2014, S&D Coffee and Tea inc. 2014, Statista 2015). Coffee shops must compete with at home coffee, work place coffee, and teas for the caffeinated beverage markets (LN 2015). Demand for coffee within different markets varies, and provides competition for coffee shops. Single cup coffee makers, increasingly qualitative instant coffees, and gourmet beans are all sources of competition that could satisfy the demand for coffee. However, coffee shops are becoming more ingrained in social

Nothing like the fresh scent of brewed coffee in the morning – “Starbucks” a well-known coffee house that is still growing and expanding their operations today is considered the number one specialty coffee retailer around the world and abroad. Therefore, the supply and demand for coffee is on the incline and is regarded as one of the most rapid growing organizations in the world. According to the National Coffee Association, adults between the ages of 18 and 39 are more likely to purchase coffee out-of-home, then older consumers (2016). Even coffee statistics conducted in 2016 indicates “50% of the population, equivalent to 150 million Americans, drink espresso, cappuccino, latte, iced/cold coffee” (E-Imports, 2016). Other statistics numbers show that an estimated of total Americans consuming coffee would be up by 1.5% and specialty coffee up from 20% in this year alone. Even the global consumption will increase by 12% over the next years. Therefore, a key question is how will the “law of demand” predict how the consumers will behave (Lorenzetti, 2016)? Namely, will the higher demand for coffee beans impact what the consumer at Starbucks will pay for a cup of coffee? Therefore, companies such as Starbucks should analyze and understand the microeconomic model to get a clear picture of the price elasticity, cost to produce, and the overall market to make the most effective business decisions and recommendations that will have an