Where do coffee shops buy their coffee?
Most coffee shops, from the small local cafe to large coffee chains, all purchase their coffee from coffee wholesalers, who in turn purchase their beans from the farmers who grew them.
Wholesalers
Wholesalers are responsible for purchasing and distributing green coffee beans to coffee shops. They buy beans from farms around the world, ensuring fair trade and organic regulations that maintain high quality standards. They also curate specialty blends and single-origin coffees that they then supply to coffee shops.
Coffee Bean Quality
The quality of the coffee beans is where it all begins. Quality coffee is grown sustainably with attention paid to soil health, climate, and how it is processed and roasted to bring out the best flavor. Quality coffee is a combination of factors that include:
- Varietal:the type of coffee used
- Origin:where it was grown
- Processing:the way the beans are processed
- Roasting:the final step before the beans arrive in the coffee shop
Organic Coffee
Organic coffee is particularly popular in many coffee shops, as it is grown without synthetic fertilizers and chemicals, resulting in a healthier and often more flavorful cup of coffee. Many organic coffee beans are also shade grown, which helps reduce global warming and prevents soil erosion.
Summing Up
At the end of the day, the coffee shop you visit likely gets its coffee from a wholesaler who have sourced it from a farm somewhere around the world. The exact origin and type of coffee beans depend on their preferred taste and quality standards. Coffee shops can be confident that the coffee they purchase is both quality and ethically sourced.
