The pricing of specialty coffee ::a cross-sectional analysis

Research in agricultural economics has traditionally focused on coffee as a commodity, overlooking the complex specialty coffee market. Similar to fine beverages like wine, tea, and whisky, specialty coffee is characterized by high-end, differentiated products with substantial price variation. Despite its growing importance, research on specialty coffee pricing remains limited. This study addresses this gap by employing hedonic regression analysis on a large dataset to quantify the impact of various coffee attributes on pricing. The results show that the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) score significantly boosts prices, while certification status has minimal effects. Some regions in Panama (Chiriquí), Hawaii (Kona), Yemen (Sanaa), and Colombia (Huila, Cauca, Quindío) command premium prices. Varietal analysis reveals that Geisha and SL28 coffees fetch the highest prices. The study further leverages expert opinions to deepen the analysis and assesses the influence of consumers from economically developed countries on specialty coffee prices.