This was the product with the biggest adjustment in the basic food basket in September (8.54%) this year

Artisan and micro-entrepreneur Vilma Neris is so passionate about coffee that she drinks around 1 and a half liters of the drink per day, seven packets per month. She says that she lives with her daughter, but that she consumes almost everything alone and there is no bad weather, it can be ground, strained, or even espresso, the important thing is that it is coffee. But the 30.13% increase in the price of the product, in 2024, has left the worker worried.

“I like coffee, regardless of the time of day. In the morning, I don’t drink a cup, I drink a mug that is almost half a liter. I like it black and I have no limits when drinking coffee during the day. Now, the price has weighed heavily. I I like a certain brand, I’m having to buy another brand and getting several packages when I see a promotion”, explained Vilma.

Among all the products and services researched to calculate official inflation, coffee had the 3rd biggest adjustment of the year. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), between January and September 2024, ground coffee accumulated a 30.13% increase in Salvador and the Metropolitan Region, the product was second only to mango (50.49%) and garlic (33.78%). According to producers, the drought in crops is responsible for the increase in values.

The manager of the Agricultural Cooperative of Western Bahia (Cooproeste), an institution that also produces and sells coffee in the west of the state, Ronaldo Henrique said that there are two factors responsible for this scenario, that the value of the product must remain at the level it is currently in. coming months and that rain will be decisive for the drop in prices.

“Climatic conditions and the low global stock of the product influenced the price. We had a period of very hot weather and little rain. The drought is passing, from now on, the rainiest period begins, last weekend, for example, we had rain. For now the price should remain the same”, he explained.

Dieese pointed out that ground coffee had the biggest increase among the 12 products in the basic basket (8.54%) in September. In 12 months, the accumulated rate was 42.32% in Salvador and the Metropolitan Region. The price of a package with 250gm of ground product can exceed R$13, depending on the brand and type of grain. At the home of businessman Carlos Gama, in Rio Vermelho, the family gave up traditional coffee for the product’s barley.

“Initially, the exchange was for health reasons, because barley does not have caffeine, but then, with the increase in the price of coffee, the exchange became a necessity. To give you an idea, we are paying R$3.59 at barley, while a packet of coffee costs R$8.59. The taste of barley is a little more bitter, but over time we get used to it,” he said.

There are those who try to exchange coffee for tea, juice or other drinks, but fans rarely give up. At the home of teacher Michele Oliveira, 31 years old, coffee is part of the morning routine. She prefers it with sugar, her sister likes it with milk and her mother chooses it plain. Despite the different tastes, they agree that the price of coffee was high. Michele talks about the strategies she has adopted.

“The first alternative is always to change the brand for a cheaper one, but sometimes that doesn’t even work. We always bought it at the market, on the regular shelf. [varejo]but now we are giving preference to wholesale. It’s more affordable. What you can’t do is run out of coffee”, said the teacher.

A survey carried out by the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association (Abic) mapped the habits of those who consume this drink in Brazil. 4,200 people were interviewed in all regions of the country, in classes A, B, C, D and E. In total, 46% of those interviewed said they consume 3 to 5 cups a day and 97% have the habit of drink coffee as soon as you wake up. Coffee after lunch is also routine.

In the world of ears, 61% of them said they drink coffee to improve their mood and disposition, the percentage was higher than that recorded by the same survey in 2021 (57%) and in 2019 (56%). The majority of those interviewed in the survey consume coffee at home and at work, 55% prefer a cloth strainer and 38% use espresso from a machine.

The most popular options were coffee with sugar, coffee with milk and sugar. Only 8% said they liked it pure. In total, 43% said that among the brands they prefer, they choose the one with the lowest price. Another 16% said they buy the cheapest, regardless of the brand.

The Association of Farmers and Irrigators of Bahia (Aiba) was contacted, but by the time the edition closed it had not responded.