There’s Trouble Brewing for American Coffee Companies and Lovers Alike

A friend and I were recently talking about how the word "crisis" is being thrown out like beads at Mardi Gras, with no apparent real reason other than to raise eyebrows and collect gasps.

Crisis this and crisis that. While some of the stories we're being pounded over the head with are legitimate problems, most aren't.

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I'll tell you what's a crisis (a truly first-world problem type of crisis) - gas prices. I feel like our world is finally starting to open back up and gas prices are so dang high that nobody really wants to hit the open road and go adventuring. I mean, I do. I want to hit the road and explore, but not when it costs me almost a hundred bucks to fill up my gas tank.

Coffee lovers may soon be facing a new crisis, and this crisis revelation might be the most dreaded of all - those in the know are warning that the cost of coffee might skyrocket. Forget toilet paper and paper towels, NOW is the time to hoard the coffee. Hoard all the coffee!!!!! I will gladly lead the charge. We ride at dawn.

Hold up. I say the hoarding part with complete sarcasm, but it might not be the worst idea to grab an extra can of coffee every once in a while when you're at the grocery store, especially if you see that it's on sale.

According to CNBC, United States coffee producers are mulling around the idea of raising the price of coffee thanks in large part to the increased cost of shipping.  Since Americans are the largest coffee consumers in the world, mark my word, if the rumors turn out to be true, we may see less coffee on shelves than we did toilet paper a year ago.

Oliver Stormshak, chief executive at Olympia Coffee Roasting told CNBC, “We’re currently signing contracts for delivery in the summer and fall, and those prices have gone up quite a bit, about 15% increases on everything."

So, we'll just get our coffee from outside countries, and boom, problem solved, right? Yeah, not so fast. According to CNBC, "Roasters reported delays for receiving coffees from Africa and some South American nations." Well, that makes sense. I just got a Christmas card that was mailed out in early December. Shipping delays are hitting everyone, everywhere.

So I guess all that we can do right now is wait to see what will happen next as we savor every sip, obviously.

Disclaimer: while this coffee lover is sad about the prospect of coffee prices jumping, it should be noted that I do not believe a rise in price to be a legitimate crisis. I am speaking tongue-in-cheek.