Yes, it’s true that in some parts of the UK, the price of a coffee, particularly a flat white, is now more expensive than a pint of lager. This is due to a combination of factors impacting coffee prices, including rising costs of coffee beans, supply chain disruptions, and increased production expenses for both coffee and alcoholic beverages.

Firstly there appears to be some global factors are playing a part with coffee bean prices like climate change impacting coffee-growing regions, supply chain disruptions like around the Red sea, and increased demand are driving up the cost of coffee beans.

This along with production side of it, as farmers are facing higher costs for inputs like fertilizer, equipment, and labor, which are passed on to consumers. Furthermore, there is the brewing and retail costs. Here also the electricity, packaging, and staffing costs are also increasing, leading to higher prices in coffee shops and cafes.

Whilst with alcoholic drink costs are also affected by rising costs, though the impact might be less pronounced compared to the price surge in coffee.

Let us also not forget that  price difference can vary by location. For example, a recent study in Chelmsford, Essex, found that a flat white was 7 pence more expensive than a pint of lager. Clearly the comparison between a pint and coffee is far more appropriate.

Essentially, the confluence of factors affecting both coffee and alcohol production, combined with increased demand for coffee, has resulted in coffee becoming a more expensive beverage in some areas.