Production Costs

There are many factors that go into the production of coffee. To calculate this we total all the below and divide this by the quantity of kilos we roast, giving us a production cost per kilo. These figures are based on our previous financial year. 

Fixed Costs

Running a roastery involves a range of fixed costs, covering everything from rent—both for our roastery space and our HQ in Kings Cross, London, where our support teams are based—to utilities such as gas for the roaster, electricity, internet, and phones. Other essential costs include insurance, business rates, legal fees, and general maintenance, all of which contribute to our operational stability.

Packaging

Every bag of coffee we send out requires carefully selected packaging to ensure safe delivery to customers. This includes coffee bags, labels, shipping boxes, packing materials, tape, and promotional inserts. Wherever possible, we use recyclable or recycled materials in this process. Additionally, to reduce waste, 40% of our roasted coffee is delivered to wholesale clients in reusable buckets, saving over 65,000 single-use bags annually.

Labour

Our roastery team operates in the unique environment of a category C prison, where they work with exceptional dedication. We provide fair salaries, cover travel costs outside of London, and offer regular pay reviews to reward commitment. Our HQ team, based in London, includes Marketing, Finance, Operations, Sales, and Impact departments, each playing an essential role in ensuring our products meet our high standards and reach customers smoothly.

Roasting

During roasting, green coffee loses 10–15% of its weight due to water loss, meaning that for every 100 kg of green coffee, we end up with around 85 kg of roasted coffee, which increases the coffee’s cost per kilo. Additional wastage occurs occasionally when roasts don’t pass our quality control (we cup every batch) or when we test-roast to perfect profiles for new coffees. We also develop brewing recipes for each coffee and retain samples from every batch for future quality reference.