Australian supermarket coffee brands are changing recipes and packaging as exceptionally high global coffee prices force manufacturers to reconsider their use of premium arabica beans.
Arabica coffee prices recently reached around A$15.40 per kilogram, while robusta rose to about A$8.73 per kilogram, levels not seen since the late 1970s.
The surge has encouraged some manufacturers to reduce the proportion of more expensive arabica beans in their products and increase the use of cheaper robusta.
Some products have also dropped prominent “100% arabica” wording from their labels, replacing it with more general descriptions such as “coffee” or “coffee beans”.
Coles, Vittoria and Moccona are among brands where changes to recipes, packaging or marketing have attracted attention.
The shift is important because arabica is generally associated with sweeter and more complex flavours, while robusta typically has a stronger and more bitter taste.
