Working out coffee bean cost per cup for your café

Bean cost is the easiest café cost to calculate, yet many cafés only estimate it. Knowing the real number helps you price with confidence and see how changing bag size or recipe affects your margin.

The formula

Bean cost per cup = bean price ÷ bean weight (g) × grams used per cup

Example: a 1 kg bag of PRODCHONG Doi Chang coffee at 570 baht, with an 18 g double shot per cup.

• Price per gram = 570 ÷ 1,000 = 0.57 baht
• Bean cost per cup = 0.57 × 18 = 10.26 baht
• For a 9 g single shot, about 5.13 baht

How many cups from a kilo?

1,000 ÷ 18 ≈ 55 double-shot cups. In practice, allow for waste such as shots discarded while dialling in, grounds retained in the grinder and remade drinks. With a 5% allowance, bean cost is about 10.77 baht per cup.

250 g vs 1 kg bags

• 250 g at 249 baht ≈ 1.00 baht per gram, about 17.93 baht per double shot
• 1 kg at 570 baht = 0.57 baht per gram, 10.26 baht per double shot
• The 1 kg bag is about 43% cheaper per gram

For a café that uses its beans within 2–3 weeks, the 1 kg bag is clearly better value; just store it well so flavour stays consistent. See how to store coffee beans.

Other costs to include

Beans are only part of it. Ingredient cost per cup should also include:

• Milk, condensed milk, cream and syrups for each recipe
• Cups, lids, straws and carry bags
• Ice
• Waste, such as leftover milk

Then add fixed costs such as rent, wages, electricity and equipment depreciation. Many cafés set a target ingredient cost as a share of the selling price and adjust it for their location and customers.

Putting it to use

• Build a cost sheet for every drink and update it when ingredient prices change.
• Weigh every dose; it controls both flavour and cost.
• Check what a recipe change costs, e.g. moving from 18 g to 20 g adds about 1.14 baht per cup in this example.

Coffee for cafés

PRODCHONG's Doi Chang coffee comes in three coffees, each in medium or dark roast, in 1 kg bags. See all coffee, ask about wholesale prices for regular or larger orders, or read how to choose a roast level.